Danika: One-Winged Shinobi
by Dshuck2119
Summary: Danika Masakura is a young shinobi - and the heir of an illegitimate union of her father and an Uchiha. When she uncovers the truth of her mother's death in the midst of her parents divorce, she is caught between an otherworldly entity and an impossible choice. Determined to save her family, she fakes her death...but will her choice mean salvation or damnation for multiple worlds?
1. Origin of the Nightmare

DANIKA: THE LOST SHINOBI

_**Hey! Life got in my way again…but I am back. I got rid of some of the stories I didn't like, and it seems you guys really like my adventure stories, so here's another.**_

_**This story is probably going to be a multi-world crossover, but I am going to start with Naruto and Final Fantasy Seven. I have been exploring the character of Sephiroth, and I have always enjoyed the Uchiha clan. **_

_**Just for notes: I am not familiar with Boruto, and I kinda don't like the direction the writers are going with that, so I am sticking to Gaiden (with a healthy dose of OC) and some of Shippuden. In addition, I will be exploring/playing with Sephiroth before he uncovered his origins. I will be taking some big liberties with the characters here, so bear with me a minute. A couple chapters will have multiple POV's, so keep an eye out for that.**_

Chapter One: Origins of the Nightmare

_Forest Outside the Hidden Leaf_

_Two weeks before the opening of the Chunin Exams, Gaiden Era_

The wind blew quietly through the cool spring night as I felt for the cool blade of my katana, a tear leaking out of my eye and slipping down my cheek. "_Why can't my parents just get a divorce already?" _I wondered for the fifteenth time that night, sick to death of their quarreling, lies, and division of assets that had been going on entirely too long.

My name is Danika Nasakura, and I am a 13-year-old shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. For about the last twelve years, I had been a proud member of the Nasakura clan, a clan of elemental masters in which every member had a unique set of abilities. Our family crest, a brilliant gold snowflake that had once been emblazoned on the shoulder my long white yukata, symbolized our belief that no two clan members were the same, and every single one was a gem in their own rights – even me.

But…that was until last year about this time. On a co-op mission with the Village Hidden in the Lightning, Squad 16 (my squad, consisting of my sister Tahana, friend Nerika Azume, and sensei Ahashi Toshiyori, creating the Leaf's first all-female squad), had been pinned down and nearly defeated by a ruthless _yakuza_. Desperate, angry, and out of options, my chakra spiraled out of control…and to everyone's shock, I discovered I had the Kekkai Genkai of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan, in my left eye.

Now, you would think that would be a good thing for me – my family had always considered me a bit of an oddball, as I had the "weak" Kekkai Genkai ability of controlling cherry blossoms as swords. In a family that boasted shinobi that could manifest giant phoenixes, level villages with the earth, and grow small forests at will, simply using cherry blossoms as blades was considered a cheap trick at best - and a joke at worst. However, with the revelation of half of a Sharingan pair, a dirty secret was forced out of my father's closet full of skeletons – a really dirty secret.

You see, the Nasakura clan, in comparison to the many clans of the Hidden Leaf Village, has always had a pretty promiscuous and bloody history, one causing them to be looked down on by the ninja world. In short, our ancestors created their powerful Kekkai Genkai by embarking on hundreds, sometimes thousands of extramarital affairs, hoping to dilute the gene pools of shinobi clans across the world, and create children with bizarre abilities. Unfortunately, many of the illegitimate children died, with many dying from being abandoned at birth or killed shortly thereafter. It got so bad (as in almost-causing-several-shinobi-wars bad) that most villages wouldn't permit our clan's members within their limits, and the Nasakura clan eventually got the message and clamped down on the behavior – by swinging the pendulum to the other extreme. For several decades, clan members were shuffled off into arranged marriages, mostly by village elders and high-ranking family. Eventually, the angst and tensions calmed, allowing for members to choose their marriages. After centuries of wandering, bastardization, and outright segregation, things finally appeared to be calming down.

And then…my dad messed it all up. Literally.

Unbeknownst to my mother, Hanashida Hyana, and the Uchihas, my dad embarked on a liaison with Marasuri Uchiha, a third cousin of both Sasuke and Itatchi Uchiha, for eight months – right up to the day he got married. As my now-stepmother was finally settling into married life, my dad scrambled to arrange a secret procedure to remove me from Marasuri's womb…and implant me into my stepmother without her knowledge. My mother, who at that time was considered infertile, never suspected a thing…he'd been sure to have relations with her around the same time, so she wouldn't know – and thrilled at the prospect of a new baby, Hanashida Nasakura didn't care. Nine months later, on February 13th, I was born…and the secret was supposedly buried, as I had my father's red hair and my "aunt's" brown eyes. With the Uchiha Clan Massacre six years later, my father's liaison went to the grave – and so did the secret.

Or so he thought.

"Danika-chan?" Tahana's voice called from the woods. I sighed. If there had been any real loser in this whole mess, it had been Tahana. She'd never had a great relationship with my father for reasons anyone really understood – and my father never really explained. Now, with our family ripping apart at the literal seams, Tahana had been there to support not only my mother, but me, as I struggled to start calling everyone by their real names – half, step, cousin –, gave up my place among the Nasakura's, and grieve for the mother that had been taken from me without my ever knowing her. "Are you gonna do something dumb?"

"No, Nee-chan," I groaned, watching my blonde-haired, green-eyed half sister and our sensei, Toshiyori, appeared, Nerika a few steps behind. "I'm not giving my father the pleasure of shaming me any further."

"Danika-chan,…you can't let your father's mistake ruin you," Toshiyori replied. Staring at the blue-haired, green-jacketed jonin, I tried to find my calm. A distant fourth or fifth cousin of ours (which was unclear, the family lines get murky quickly), Toshiyori had been a talented shinobi from the Sand village who had fled there after her father was revealed to be an abuser, and the rest of the family took her in. "Yes, he took away your mother…but she wouldn't want your life to stop."

I didn't speak at first. I just looked at Tahana, the Leaf headband wrapped around her waist, as was mine. Then, I looked at Nerika, a young woman with shaggy red hair dressed in her long purple skirts with white undergarments, much like Ino Yamanka. Then, I looked back at Toshiyori.

These women…my comrades…had suffered the most as a result of my father's humiliating revelation, the discovery of the death of my birth mother and most of the maternal half of my family, the stripping of my family crests from my clothes (all those born illegitimately in the Nasakura clan had their crests removed as a mark of shame, never to wear them again)…and the worst humiliation of all:

The fact that my first teacher, Itatchi Uchiha, murdered my own mother – and had never bothered to tell me the truth.

"No, she wouldn't," I admitted coldly, the feelings of pain stinging my heart. I tried telling myself for the umpteenth time that a year had passed – Toshiyori had kept us out of the Chunin Exams last year when the news broke, knowing that neither my sister nor I needed that stress in the wake of the scandal and the beginning of the divorce process. I should have been over it by now…should have been trying to rebuild my life. "But she never called me daughter, either. She never stood up for me when I needed her to…even if it would have ended up in me being dead in the end."

Tahara held her breath a minute…she always did that when she had something to say. "Danika-chan…if an apology is what you need, let me say it. I'm sorry your mother was a selfish homewrecker and our dad is ruled by that thing between his legs. But…you have to believe Itatchi, in spite of everything he took from you…had your best interests at heart. If the Uchiha were still alive, they would have disposed of you, too – just like the elders did. He was your sensei…and from what little I saw of him with my four-year-old eyes, he loved you. Even though he's a criminal – the worst of the worst – you were in his mind and heart that day. He wouldn't want you drowning like this."

I wanted to answer…but my voice just wasn't there. I felt entangled…stuck between so many different voices, but somehow unable to find my own. I had thrown myself into my training and what few missions Squad 16 was able to participate in thanks to my parents' messy divorce…but the pain still held me fast, refusing to let me go. I couldn't run away fast enough…and no matter how hard I tried to cope, the sadness drove me half mad.

"Tahara…you guys want me to put on a brave face…so we can participate in this year's Chunin Exams, right?" I replied. "You guys want me to fight for you…for all of us?"

"Hell yeah!" Neharia replied. "You can't let your dad win! Come on – fight with us, and show us you're better than even that vengeance hog Sasuke!"

I chuckled. "You know what…I think I like that idea. Don't know how well I'll do…but I'm game!"

…

_Three days later_

"Are you sure about this, Danika-chan?" Sarutobi-sensei wondered, smoking on his pipe, his huge hat on his head. We sat together late that evening in his office, discussing my involvement in the Chunin Exams.

Unlike many of the shinobi who knew and loved him, I knew the Third Hokage on a first-name basis…it was more a grandfather-grandchild relationship than that of leader and subordinate. He had taken me under his wing in the days following the Uchiha Massacre, and he had always been sure to leave his door open for me and my step-mother in the years that followed. While the two of us didn't see eye-to-eye on every issue, we could always agree to disagree, something I admired in the Hokage.

"Sensei…I haven't had a real opportunity to move on all year. It's war out in the field, and war back at home," I replied. "Nobody…not even Hinata, some days, is fully speaking their minds with me, and I can't say I blame 'em."

"They want you to be able to heal, and you can't…not with the way your father's been dragging this out." Sarutobi replied.

I groaned. In the past year, I had watched my close, loving relationship with my dad disintegrate into one where I couldn't get him to speak five words to me in a month. When the truth came out, my mother divorced him on the spot, but he quickly opened a cold war of stonewalling, skipping alimony payments, and marrying another woman in another village. He seemed Hades-bent on embarrassing not only me and my half-sister, but everybody in the family. When the elders stripped me of my right to wear the family crests of my father's line, my mother responded by trying to take the matter to court, but I refused.

_"I am not a Nasakura any more than I am an Uchiha or Hyana,"_ I had replied then. _"I don't need a family name to serve as my identity…even if I would like the benefits. It's time to close this chapter of my life's book…start over anew."_

"Sarutobi-sensei…what's done is done. I can't change who I am or what my mom and dad did to me…but I can change how I've reacted to it, and learn from it."

"You needed time, Danika-chan," the Hokage replied. "Even back then, you took the massacre hard – Itachi had been your mentor, your first true friend and teacher…and then, discovering your birth mother had died by his hand ripped every wound open again. The divorce was salt in the wound-"

Just then, the door opened, and a member of the Anbu gestured to the Kage. "Wait here for me, Danika…I'll be back with some tea." Then, he rose and left, closing the door. I sat on the chair, shuffling a bit…when something that had caught my attention several times before did so once again.

It was a scroll sitting behind a locked gate, the crest of the Uchiha on it. I had noticed it many times, unsure of what was written on its pages…but every time I looked at it, a queasiness rose up in my stomach. It was something I wasn't supposed to know…but something tugged at me, telling me I needed to see what was in it. I had the power to do it – I knew I did.

The question was: should I do it?

Part of me wanted to keep quiet – do what I was supposed to do, keep my head in the sand, and pretend I didn't see anything. But…I had spent the last thirteen years doing that…and I had paid the ugly, ugly price for it.

I had been paying all my life.

And now, I wanted a refund.

Knowing my time was short, I slid to the floor, quietly crawling to the lock. The key was on the ceiling…no time for that, but no matter. I grabbed a blank scroll from my sash and rolled it out on the floor.

"_Secret Art: Transcription no Jutsu!"_ I whispered, watching with curiosity as the characters spilled out in ink on the blank paper. Wasting no time, I waited a few seconds, then rolled it up slowly, listening for footsteps. Then, I stuffed the scroll in my sash again and sat down.

"_Well done, my child," _an odd voice murmured in my brain. "_You shall serve my son nicely." _A chill shot up my spine. The voice – it didn't even _sound_ human. It was cold. Mechanical. Half-dead. But…it had managed to influence me somehow.

Had it been…testing me?

I didn't know…and the fear of the unknown pushed me back to the couch, trembling. I had just barely managed to recoup my composure when the Kage came back, but he gestured toward the door – thank the gods.

It was my cue to get out of his office.

…

That night…would make me wish I had never read what was in the scroll.

I kept reading over the words over and over, their meaning less believable with each read. Itatchi…my mother…and the Hidden Leaf…they'd all been pawns in a scheme to stop a war. Tears slipped down my cheeks anew.

Everything I had known – everything Sasuke knew – was a lie. A total and complete fabrication.

My mother hadn't been murdered – she'd been assassinated. All because of a scheme to destroy the Uchihas…and pin the blame on Itatchi, a scapegoat. He had murdered them, yes – nothing took away from his crime – but he was a fish in a much bigger scheme.

But…how did I tell Sasuke? How did I save him from walking down a path he didn't need to walk down…one that would tear at his conscience forever?

"_Meet me by the waterfall," _The cold, dead voice replied. _"If you seek to save the ones you care for, you will follow me. Otherwise…you shall walk the path of Itatchi."_

Once again, terror filled me. "Just…just who are you?"

I heard a smile in its voice this time. "_I am…Jenova."_


	2. Losing Sense of Gods

Chapter Two: Losing Sense of Gods

_**Okay…as usual, I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy or the Naruto/Boruto franchise. I don't know why I keep forgetting to write that down.**_

_**A quick warning here for those who are sensitive/potentially dealing with a mental health issue: there is a scene involving a feigned suicide in this chapter. While I may write about suicide, and while it's falsified in this instance, it's NEVER the answer. If you feel suicidal/overwhelmed with life, please, speak up and seek help! I wish I could write down all the numbers, but here's the number for the United States: 1-800-273-8255. If you feel like skipping that section as a result (I'll leave a warning there, too) by all means, do it.**_

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

_Three years before the Niebelheim Incident (Sephiroth is assumed to be age 17.)_

It was supposed to be an easy job – so easy I decided to go it alone.

"You sure you want to go to the Desert of Devil's Gorge by yourself?" Angeal Hewley asked me as I pored over the map one more time as he walked into my room aboard the ship. "I mean, I know your Midgar's Almighty Hero and all…but weird stuff's been known to happen out there."

"Weird stuff like what?" Genesis Rhapsodos wondered, jumping off his spot on the counter to see the map.

"He's talking about those ancient gypsy folk, Genesis – the ones who came to the planet five or six centuries ago for no reason, stealing beautiful women and girls from their homes," I replied. "They could call on the earth to do their will, summon storms with hand signs…they even had eyes that could see through bodies and drive people mad. They were called…the Nasaki, if I remember it right."

Genesis shook his head. "I thought it was Shinobi or Nasakura…but didn't they die out?"

"That's not it – they were practically annihilated. People got sick of losing their women and girls to them…the Nasakura used them practically as broodmares. They'd keep breeding the women till they quit bearing, then leave behind the women, runts, and weaklings for the victim's families to take care of when they wanted a new victim," Angeal sighed. "Most of those kids were taken and used for science…the rest that were found were rounded up and slaughtered in a place they call Devil's Gorge, even the women and children. To this day, that gorge has been permanently tainted…the water from there has never stopped running red like blood. The gypsies gave it their all…but they stood no chance against the government and their high-tech weapons, even then."

I nodded. "Even so, this isn't going to be difficult…my job is to seek out and retrieve any ancient artifacts or bodies I can find. President Shinra wants to me to locate any remaining bodies so they can be identified for more proper burial…and removal of any potential traps or artifacts for further research. They want to start mining for Mako in the region, but Shinra isn't taking any chances over disturbing the dead, or unleashing anything detrimental."

"Why such concern over bodies and artifacts?" Genesis wondered, brushing his red hair to the side.

"You remember that botched excavation they did near the actual burial place of the gypsies, in the mountains?" Angeal asked. "Well, they wound up disturbing the bones of one of the most powerful members of the group…a man with awful red eyes. Five of the seven members of the excavation have gone blind…the other two went half-mad. Shinra thinks Sephiroth will be more careful…hopefully be better suited for removing and caring for the bodies of the dead until they can be moved."

"Even so…be careful out there, Sephiroth," Genesis replied. "Those gypsies sure were worried about their dead if that's the case."

I rose from my seat, brushing my hair out of my face. "The only reason the archeologists got hurt was because they trampled down the graves of the deceased and opened them, sparking their anger. Hopefully…I can do better."

_**POV: Danika**_

I could barely believe my own anger as I went to the waterfall, drowning in yet another sea of rage and anxiety. No matter how hard I tried to move on, it seemed as though I was little more than a tired swimmer drowning in an endless ocean, the shoreline slipping further and further from my grasp.

Did my birth mother…did she truly love me? Did she know the disaster that would befall her – the sorrow of knowing she would die in such a short time? That I could have potentially died with her on that day? That I…if I had the choice, would have wanted to die there with her, holding her, telling her we would be together on the other side?

I stared at the river, tears pooling up in my eyes, trying to form words to speak to this "Jenova" again. Fortunately, the voice/creature/whatever the heck it was got the hint – as I stepped into the rushing waters of the river, a bright light filled the night sky, transfiguring into the shape of an angelic-looking woman with a single black wing. Her hair was silver, and parted in the middle, her eyes opening slowly to reveal blue, catlike orbs.

Her skin…well, that's where things got questionable. Her skin was gray and cold-looking, almost like marble, but the rest was covered in a long yukata similar to my own. "_Danika," _she said softly, her voice still sounding like it came out of a half-dead corpse. "_Long have I sought you…and you, in the ebb of your misery, have found me." _

"Let's cut to the chase – what do you want?" I asked. "I've been kicked out of two families like a flea bitten stray dog who pissed on the expensive carpet, I just found out my birth mother was assassinated to stop a coup, my sensei took her from me, and now I have to deal with the fact that I now have information that is probably going to get me killed sooner rather than later."

Jenova looked at me in surprise. "_Do you not believe that I have come to save you, in accordance with the ancient covenant I made with your ancestors, who once worshipped me? Your father's bloodline treated me like a goddess…they provided for me many gifts – even the lives of their own children."_

I groaned. "I know you mean well, Jenova, but…can we please just _not _bring him up right now?"

"_Your father is irrelevant…however, his meddling could be the thing that saves entire worlds – or brings them to utter destruction," _Jenova replied. "_Please, Danika…hear my voice. I need you …the cosmos needs you…far more than you could dream._"

If I was being purely honest, I didn't believe her – period. The thought of anybody needing me seemed so…repulsive to my mind. The only people who had ever loved me or needed me had turned their backs on me the minute I needed them…or they wound up being two-faced liars, my teammates and mother the only exceptions.

But…part of me wanted so desperately to believe I was still wanted. Still needed in some small capacity outside that tiny circle…even if I was scraping intergalactic goop off the bottom of Jenova's cosmic shoes. I wanted to believe I could still be loveable to others.

"What…what do you want?" I croaked.

Jenova got right to the point. _"Two millennia ago, I landed on a distant planet…as a calamity that fell from the skies. I sought to transform its inhabitants, the Cetra and the humans…into creatures that would understand me…and love me like a goddess. However…the Cetra resisted my gift…and they became monsters. The humans, their daughter race, hid from me…and the Cetra ultimately sealed me deep within a crater, though it spelled their inevitable doom._

_Over the millennia, the Cetra disappeared…and though they lasted for some time, so did the Nasakura. Though they were humans originally from this world, they loved me and accepted me…and what I had to offer. They rejected their former goddess wholeheartedly…and did my will without shame. Even when they faded into the cold, dark night, they accepted me, believing to the end I would save them. And…on this dark day…I will honor the sacrifices of them who love me…by uniting the heart of the Nasakura to one I have selected."_

"And…who is that?"

"_I shall not speak his name – but know this. The wicked humans have been harvesting my cells to create enhanced humans…children in my image. They seek to use these creations as weapons…but I desire to show the foolish humans what they are messing with. Come with me, young gypsy girl…accept my gift of power…the power of my own flesh and blood!_

If I am being honest about all this, I was reluctant. What did any of this really mean? Did it even matter? But then…another feeling seized me, possibly even pride in myself.

I was tired of being the Village's doormat – someone people cared about when they wanted someone dead, but never good enough for praise outside of that. I was tired of being just another pawn people could order around at a whim. Was I trading one master for another? Probably – but if I remained here, my personal agonies would only get worse.

Staking my whole future on the next few seconds, I reached for the gray, corpselike hand of Jenova…and the world around me exploded in light.

…

"Danika?" a voice above me asked.

I tried finding my feet…but they felt like gelatinous sticks as I tried to pull my body off the ground. I reached up into the darkness…and I felt two pairs of hands grabbing at me as my eyes tried to adjust to the mixture of light and dark. My back, arms, and legs…every inch of me screamed out in livid agony.

And yet…I felt new. Stronger. More confident in what I had chosen.

The life I had chosen.

Suddenly, I was staring into the faces of Sarutobi…and another brown-haired man I did not recognize. Both of them were angry…but I knew why.

"Sensei…if there's anyone you ought to be angry at…it should be none other than you," I said, reading his face like a book. "What did you think you would get out of lying to my face…to Sasuke's face…to all of our faces?"

The Hokage flinched. "Danika-chan…what do you think telling the truth will achieve?"

"At this point…not much," I said, clinching my teeth for the pain still coursing through me. Why were they so concerned about Sasuke? Had they somehow been blinded to what just occurred? Or was it all a hallucination? "But telling the truth…is going to save Sasuke a world of eternal heartache. How can I stand there…and keep the truth to myself…when my own flesh-and-blood is suffering and dying inside?"

"If you love him…and your family…you'll keep that nasty mouth of yours shut." the brown-haired man snarled. It was now that I saw that his eye was covered…and he seemed to be old and injured.

"Danzo Shinimura!" the Hokage snapped. "How can you say that, especially after all she now knows?"

"This girl has made herself too dangerous!" Danzo nearly shouted. "You saw that awful jutsu she was trying to perform! If she doesn't fall back in line, she'll destroy the safety of this village. Either she shuts up, or we make the those adulterous, incestuous pigs into Uchihas – and make her spill their blood!

I wanted to see red…but all I did was shake with fear, anger, and pain as Danzo slipped his bandaged fingers under my chin. "That's right, little girl…cower like the little flea-bitten dog you are. Be good…toe the line…and you and your family live. Otherwise…you will spend the rest of your miserable life begging to share your former sensei's lot."

Danzo left and turned away…and instead of standing up for me, the Hokage turned and walked away. I stood there for a few minutes…and slowly, a plan began bubbling in my mind.

"_Three can play at this game, you cockroaches," _I thought to myself. "_And even though this mockingbird can't exactly sing, I'll make you scream!"_

…

The next morning, I woke up really late – so much so Nerika was worried.

"Hey, you spend all night out training again?" she wondered.

"You could say so."

"You know that's not good for your health, Danika-chan!" Nerika cried.

"Says the one who spends half the night up playing Silent Hill." I said coldly, pain still radiating through me as I came down to breakfast – and so began the longest day and night of my life. I spent most of the day wandering from place to place and person to person, fighting to memorize all the faces and names of friends in the village.

I hated what I was doing – but it had to work. If my family was to live another day, it had to happen.

"_Jenova," _ I murmured in my mind. "_Please help me!"_

There was one conversation that stuck out in my mind. As the sun began to set low in the sky, I picked a spot in the forest to bury the hateful scroll that had gotten me in so much trouble, using a trowel to do the work. As I slid the scroll into a silver box, placing a seal on top, a pair of footsteps came up behind me.

"Hey, Danika-chan," Sasuke's cool voice said, cutting like a knife through my brain. "Are you okay?"

"Define 'okay', Sasuke-kun." I replied, then almost immediately regretting my reply. Of all the relationships I had in the Leaf Village, none had been more complicated than the one I had with Sasuke. Once, we had been childhood friends, testing each other to be the best. We motivated ourselves, pushed ourselves, and even sparred together. However, after the Massacre, things got colder. He didn't hate me, or anything like that – but I knew I was a bad memory he'd rather have forgotten.

Or would I rather have forgotten him…and the memories he dredged back to the surface? I wasn't sure.

Of course, things came to a head after the Sharingan incident…he was _pissed_, and I didn't blame him. Problem was, I couldn't tell who he was more pissed at: me for being an illegitimate heir, or my dad for dragging both of our family names through the mud.

However, he now looked at me with something that looked close to legitimate concern. "Danika-chan…you can't keep taking this all so personally!" he protested. "This wasn't your fault, and I'm not blaming you for it! I accept the fact that you're my third cousin…you are my family, illegitimate or not!"

I paused, stunned. "Why…why did you wait this long?"

"I…I didn't know what to think, or even what to say to you," he replied. "None of it made any sense to me…and nothing I could have said would have made things better, so I said nothing," Then, he looked down at the box. "What's that?"

I gulped. "Sasuke…I got myself in a lot of danger last night thanks to what's in this box," I replied. "I can give it to you…but you must make me an oath. For the sake of my family…for Tahana. Don't make me do…what he did."

Sasuke knelt down beside me. "Are you saying someone threatened you?"

I nodded. "My family…the Village…they can't know. Otherwise…"

He nodded in return. "What do you want?"

I swallowed again. "Please…don't open this box…until the day you choose to leave this village behind you. When you do…run so far from this Village that they can't catch you. Please…for my sake…"

"Have you told anyone this? Your mom?"

"No…they can't know. It's not safe. She…she doesn't need this."

Sasuke nodded again, taking the box. "I don't understand why you're so freaked out…but if its what you demand, I will comply. I'll be on a mission tomorrow, so I'll pretend to forget."

I smiled then, rising to my feet.

"Thank you, Sasuke," I murmured. "Thank you for everything."

…

_[__**SUICIDE WARNING: If sensitive, please pass over this section. If you choose to continue, you were warned.]**_

I stared at my bed, down to my sword, and out the window again, watching the minutes tick along like obedient soldiers, listening for Nerika to go to sleep or put on a super-loud horror flick. Either would have sufficed.

On my bed lay a Corpse Body Doll…a gift I had received from Itatchi many years before. Back then, I had questioned why he would give me such a bizarre gift, but now, all my questions were answered. My stomach was in a dozen knots as I stared at the thing, which looked just like me – same short red hair, brown eyes, lovely white yukata…

I didn't want to…but I had to.

I pulled my Hidden Leaf headband off my waist, laying it across the doll's head. Then, I lifted the sword up, shut my eyes…and slammed it down through the corpse's chest, blood rushing up to splash me in the face and chest…just as Jenova reappeared, her hand outstretched to mine.

"_Well done, my child," _she murmured in approval, pulling me into a chilly embrace. "_Now…you are truly free to serve me. Come with me…I have much to teach you."_


	3. Collision

Chapter Three – Collision in the Desert

_**POV:**_ _**Sephiroth**_

The Desert of Devil's Gorge is a small, but pretty desolate place – it's almost a subsection of a larger desert, and isn't even marked on many maps. For several hundred years, its been largely untouched, disturbed only by the desert jackals and small game. Even the Mako-infused monsters largely left this graveyard of the Masakurian gypsy people untouched – perhaps even _they_ feared their respectable power, or the curses the dying placed upon their own bones.

But now, with the recent reports of a Mako cache around this area, SHINRA was determined to get its hands on it – gypsies, their curses, and their graves be damned. As I moved slowly into the Gorge, I felt a chill run up the back of my neck…like I wasn't supposed to be there and I knew it.

Suddenly, my transmitter went off – a welcome relief in contrast to the wild noises of the desert. "Genesis?" I asked.

"Big change in plans, Sephiroth," Genesis responded. "SHINRA just received word that two of the members of the last excavating party died, with three more falling ill. They don't want you coming into contact with any bodies - you're too valuable. If you locate any of the gypsy tombs or artifacts, you are merely to create electronic tags for them, mark their locations, and move on."

"Affirmative."

"When you finish, return to the ship immediately…we're headed back to the front."

"Copy that."

I then clicked my transmitter off, brushed my hair and the dust out of my face, and then set to work carefully mapping the ruins. At first, there didn't seem to be much to see…a lot of columns inscribed with old characters that were almost too hard to read, a rocky tomb here or there….typical remnants of an old desert graveyard.

But then, as I progressed deeper into the gorge…I came upon the place where the final battle between the gypsies and the government took place…and I saw the infamous red river of blood passing through the gorge. I tried to think the river wasn't actually blood – didn't want to believe that a small army of four or five hundred half-crazed gypsy men, women, and children could turn a river of pure, clean water to blood…but I stuck my hand in - and sure enough, it was blood, far too red and thick to be a byproduct of the desert sand.

"_What was going on with these gypsy people?" _I wondered to myself. "_This is a desert wasteland…their last true stronghold before they were wiped out…but it still feels like their spirits are still here…still protecting what was once theirs."_

Shaking off my concerns, I wiped away the blood with a rag and continued on. As I moved across the old battlefield, I found the…rather disgusting half-mummified looking bodies of the dead gypsies. The government had been so hateful of the gypsies they left the bodies on the ground where they had fallen after the slaughter, refusing to bury the dead. As I tagged the bodies using my hand-held computer, I couldn't help staring at what faces I could see…some of them still stuck in their final screams, others smiling, still others writhing in pain after being cut in half by shrapnel or tank fire.

Finally, I made it across that narrow battlefield situated between two rock walls…to the ghost city of the gypsies, _Jipushī no kakusareta-mura_, or the Hidden Village of the Gypsies in English. Ghostly looking houses appeared to have been carved out of the rock…all their beauty eroded by time and the sands of the desert.

But the weirdest thing of all…were the monstrous relics dedicated to Jenova everywhere I looked. Jenova, although a lost legend in the eyes of this world, was a goddess to these people for reasons unknown, according to the few pieces of literature dedicated to their history. In ancient times, they dedicated rituals to her, sacrificed their finest hostages to her, prayed to her for fertility…if they did anything concerning anything, it was a sin not to "commune" with Jenova. Often, their legends and prophecies spoke of a "vessel" that would join its heart to Jenova's…and bring the humans to their proper place in slavery.

As I moved along through the buildings, I began to feel sad for these misguided worshippers of Jenova..and reflected on what their last days must have been like. Were they praying to Jenova for the coming of their promised vessel? Had they given up hope? Shrugging my shoulders, I walked back out into the old town square, ready to head back…when the ground beneath my feet began to rumble without warning.

"_Ahhh…wouldn't be a haunted ghost town without a trap, I see…" _

I leapt to the top of one of the abandoned buildings as the entire square caved in and disappeared into the abyss below…and a massive black creature with three heads – possibly an oversized Cerberus – emerged from the ground, roaring and swinging its sharp, pointed tails. I couldn't exactly see its face…but it charged out of the square, almost as if it didn't see me, much to my confusion.

There was only one thing to do now – and as I leapt back into the ruins of the square, I was ready for the challenge. I took off like a madman behind it, desperate to get a look at the thing's face…and I wouldn't have too long to wait for that. The thing sat at the mouth of the canyon, using its huge tails to slice into the rock walls. I leapt using my lone wing and grabbed onto one of the swinging tails, slowly clambering up its back…but it still paid me no heed for some strange reason.

Then, in an even stranger turn of events, I watched as the air filled with…pink cherry blossoms? "FALL BACK OR YOU'RE DEAD!" an angry voice – a woman's – screamed at me from the ground, her voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the monster. Before I could yell back a reply, however, the blossoms had become swords, and I was nearly stabbed in the chest by an errant blade as the monster reared back on its hind legs. Realizing that this monster had been after the screaming woman, I sailed skyward, turning to face the tiny woman, her long white yukata coated in a sheen of sand.

"You wear a yukata when you fight?" I asked as I landed.

"It just shows you I'm capable!" she yelled back, wincing at what looked like a huge bloody patch on her shoulder. Then, without warning, she flashed a series of rapid hand signs. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" she yelled, a burst of flame shooting from her mouth straight at the diamond on the middle head. The monster reared back again, as if staggered by the flames.

_Was she…a gypsy?_

"Awww, looks like poor Fido hasn't had his bone today!" the girl chuckled, picking up a katana from the ground. "No matter…you'll make a fine substitute for that dog I used to call a father!"

I stared. "Woman, you're-" I started, but seconds later, she was in the air, grinning wickedly with jagged teeth as she cut off the head on the left with a single effortless _swoosh_.

"Well, don't just stand there, bodybuilder – come and have some fun!"

"Hold on a second, you lunatic gypsy, – you're hurt!" Thankfully, I had Cure materia on me, so fixing up the wound was no issue. What _was_ an issue…was the giant monster's paws, nearly knocking me off my feet before I could be airborne. The woman, meanwhile, was on the move, leaping from its paws…to its joint…all the way up to its neck, almost with no issue, as the beast tossed itself against the walls, desperate to hurl her off.

"Looks like somebody hasn't had their flea meds…too bad Granny Soria didn't leave me some!" she squealed, almost as though she was reveling in this battle.

Unfortunately for her…I was going to cut it a tad short. A red ring of fire surrounded her – this thing was about to cast Firaga on itself. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"Wha-? Oh!" she responded, the spell missing as she leapt off again. Taking advantage of the distracted monster, I swung Makasume at the beast's head…and the cut went a bit shallow, the thinnest fiber of skin connecting the middle head to its raging torso.

"No problem!" the woman responded, now resuming her previous perch and resuming her hand signs…until she changed her mind, opting for a small, pointed knife. "No need wasting chakra on _that!" _she yelled…and her aim was true, cutting away the sliver of skin as the head crashed to the ground…forcing the monster to throw us both into the stone wall.

"Aargh!" she yelled, knives of rock cutting into her back. "Dang it!" However, she struggled out of the rock formation, blood oozing from her back.

"Don't move; you'll hurt yourself!" I yelled, trying to pull myself out more slowly.

"I won't quit until I am de-aghh-ead!" Then, almost with an inhuman force of will, she pulled herself out of the rock, leapt to the ground, and performed another series of hand signs. "Earth Style: Rock Smash Jutsu!"

At first, I was sure it wouldn't work…but then, the heavens opened and a storm of medium sized boulders rained down on the badly bleeding beast….but the woman had collapsed. Knowing I had to finish the job, I finally pulled myself from the rock formation, going airborne for the decapitation of the final head – and it worked.

But it almost put the woman in the direct path of its collapsing corpse. Knowing I only had seconds to save her, I managed a risky downward dive, grabbing her limp body and flying out of range. She was alive – just barely – but badly wounded and unconscious. "Don't worry, gypsy…I'll get you out of here."

"No…Je-Jenov-"

"_My child, you have succeeded," _a mechanical, half-dead voice whispered in our ears. "_Now…the true test begins…in the lovely lands of Hyrule. It's young savior has fallen…and you must take up the mantle there. Go with Sephiroth…and your success shall be assured."_

"Wha-? Wait!"

Unfortunately, my protest was swallowed in a loud roar and blazing light…and then, everything was gone.


	4. Disaster in the Kokiri Forest

Chapter Four – Disaster in the Kokiri Forest

_**POV: Danika**_

__When I came back to myself again, all I could hear were crickets and fireflies. I sat up…and while the pain that had wracked my body for the last twenty-four hours or so had subsided to a degree…I felt confused. I had passed Jenova's test and killed the Cerberus…but with the help of a nameless guy wielding a sword longer than he was tall, who looked like he either belonged in a punk rock group or had been confined to a gym every day of his life.

Then…there was another strange question: how in the hell had I not wound up dead? That three headed dog had slammed me and the punk rocker into a rock wall, causing what should have been spinal cord injuries at best…and instant death at worst.

"_Link…oh, Link," _a tiny voice murmured. I looked up…to see what looked like a tiny blue ball with wings on both sides, sitting just outside a treehouse. It's light looked dull…almost as though it wanted to die. "_Why did you have to go?"_

"What's the matter, little fairy?" I asked.

"_Wait a minute…you can hear me?" _it wondered. "_You…you're not even a Kokiri!"_

"I'm a young woman of many abilities," I replied. "I'm not a great warrior, healer, or even ninja…but I like being a woman capable of doing anything I set my mind to. So, back to the question: who are you, and what so happens to be the issue? I think I know what happened, but I am not sure."

The little thing made a noise that sounded like a sob, and then zoomed over to me. "_My…my name is Navi, and I am one of the Great Deku Tree's fairy helpers. He…sent me here to summon a young boy named Link for a task…but I came in to see him…and he's dead. What do I do now?"_

I paused…and looked down to find myself sitting on the chest of the unconscious warrior I had fought alongside earlier. "Does this Link have any friends, or next-of-kin?"

"_Yes…Saria." _

"Well…let me go check on him to confirm, maybe try to pin down a possible cause of death…and you go get ahold of Saria for me. As for the Great Deku Tree…maybe I can take care of this task."

"_Are…are you sure?" _

"Yeah!" I said, checking for my sword, which was somehow still snug in its scabbard – which was odd, as I had distinctly remembered dropping it. Had Jenova retrieved it for me? I then rolled off the silver-haired man, pulling myself to my feet. "I mean, I _am _a halfway decent shinobi…I've had to take on a three-headed dog and a couple mob bosses, so this shouldn't be that hard."

"_O-Okay," _Navi replied. "_When I come back…can I stay with you?"_

_ "_Sure thing! Missions are no fun alone!" I replied, scrambling up the rope ladder into the house. It wasn't furnished too well – a couple pots, a chest in the back, and the body of a boy dressed in green on its lone bed. Sure enough, he was colder than clay, with his blue eyes frozen in deadly terror. I sighed…I had no choice but to use the doijutsu I had despised since the day I knew I had it.

"_Sharingan," _I murmured, a tear welling up in my right eye as the three-comma Kekkai Genkai appeared in my left, casting part of the room in an eerie light. Now, one would suspect that I would have weakened ability with the Sharingan, and indeed I did…but this Sharingan, unlike its Uchiha counterparts, had not fully developed for reasons unknown, and had a single bizarre ability – chiefly, the ability to see through the human body. I chalked it up to either the generations of blended blood running through my veins…or maybe it, like the family it came from, hated me for diluting their blood. Honestly, I wouldn't have blamed it if it did hate me.

However, Link's body demanded all my attention now, and as I paced back and forth in the room, the culprit had nowhere to hide. Link's killer…had been none other than cancer, an ugly, nasty, metastasizing black beast that had run amok in his brain, legs…even his pancreas was covered in the filthy stuff. How had no one seen that Link wasn't doing well? Did he even know?

The sight of it…brought more tears to my face. My poor Granny Soria, my father's mother…she had been taken by pancreatic cancer just three short years ago, long before my whole life had spiraled into a nightmare. Although she had never been a shinobi due to a congenital heart defect and low chakra reserves, she had been the greatest of my mentors…a seer of sorts, teaching me a sacred series of techniques that had once been the backbone of my family, but due to arrogance and disdain by my ancestors, had almost been lost.

"_My child, I know I shall not be with you long," _she told me when I was about six on a lovely spring day, while I was seated on her lap. "_However, my little dear, I have seen visions of your coming for many, many moons. This village is a place of blinded eyes, entranced by the power of blood…and the power of what they see with their eyes. But…you shall open their eyes to the only true power there is: that which dwells within the heart."_

I wiped the tears out of my eyes, deactivating my Sharingan. Even if I had let my entire village down…I still had a duty, an obligation, to the Kokiri…and the man still lying on the ground outside. I couldn't fail them, not like I had my family.

"Ex-Excuse me?" a female voice behind me hiccupped. I turned…just to see a pair of small, childlike people standing in the doorway. One was a male with blonde hair…the other, a green-haired girl, both of them in tears. "Are you…a doctor? Navi told…us you'd be here."

"Ah, yes…but I am not a doctor," I replied, smiling at the sight of Navi as she swooped around my head. "My name is Danika, and I am here to help the Great Deku Tree."

"But…the Deku Tree…he didn't call for you, and you have no fairy!" the boy protested.

"Mido, stop it!" the girl – no doubt, Saria – cried. "This woman…I know she can help the Great Deku Tree – even if she isn't one of us. Don't you see her blade?"

"Saria, I thank you for the vote of confidence, but we have a major emergency on our hands. There's an unconscious man lying in the grass outside, I just found out young Link here met his end via pancreatic cancer, and we have a tree needing help," I replied. "Please…if you can prepare Link for burial, that would take a big weight off me."

"C-Cancer?" Saria replied. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have the ability to see through bodies for diseases and abnormalities," I replied. " He was utterly infested – even if he'd seen a doctor five months ago, it would have been too late. As for you, Mido…I know I probably shouldn't speak to you like this…but can you tend to that gentleman down below and get him out of the sun?"

Mido glared at me, but relented. "Fine…but you need the Kokiri Sword-"

"Mine will do well enough," I replied, drawing my katana. The two stared at me like I was mad…when I noticed blood dripping from it. "Oh dear, this thing needs a good cleaning. One moment."

"What…what about a shield?" Mido wondered, backing himself up against a wall as I slid a cloth up and down the blade.

"No need to concern yourself with me," I replied. "If you need any evidence, I once sliced seven men to bits without even getting so much as a scratch. Now…can I trust you to take care of matters here?"

The two nodded, but then, Saria went to one of the pots, retrieving a cloth purse. "Danika…even if you don't buy things here…you need to gather Rupees, or currency. You can find it in pots, bushes, barrels…anywhere you look. This purse only hold ninety-nine, but…"

"Thank you, Saria." I replied. "Before I go…if that man wakes up…have him follow me to the Great Deku Tree."

"I will."

…

My winding jog through Kokiri Village…was a sad one at best. Every house was covered in leaves, and what few faces I saw were streaked with tears. According to them, the Deku Tree was their father, and Link had been their dearest friend…even if he wasn't one of them. Most of them barely seemed to care about who I was…all they wanted was to do was grieve, and I couldn't blame them.

Finally, with a pouch half-full of Rupees and a heavy heart, I stood before the Great Deku Tree. I stood in silence – a silence Navi managed to break. "_O Great Deku Tree…Link has fallen, but I have found a new candidate to complete this task. This is Danika…is she enough?"_

_ "Navi," _the Tree replied. "_I…I have foreseen this…a force greater than that which has cursed me guides her. However, its intentions…are shrouded in mystery, far beyond my capacity to know. Danika Nasakura…a great sorcerer has cursed me, seeking the treasure that I guard, seeking to rule Hyrule with terror and darkness-_

Suddenly, Navi and the mighty Deku Tree went silent…and a quiet panorama emerged in front of me, Jenova standing before it, her hands lifted upward. I looked up…watching in amazement as three golden-looking goddesses as they formed a beautiful world from a barren wasteland.

"_Din. Fayore. Naryu," _Jenova said. "_They created this world of Hyrule…its Triforce…and the knights and princesses who protect it. But…they forgot me, their weak, monstrous little sister. They said I didn't have enough power…wasn't strong enough to protect Hyrule, that I would corrode it with evil if I tried. Perhaps they were right…but even so, Hyrule was once my home, long before I embraced a planet of my own. _

_ Now…I have forged a new pair of heroes, one versed in the ways of an ancient world," _Jenova said, smiling. "_Go forth, Danika…Sephiroth will follow you. Show the world…that you, and not the child my sisters chose…are the Chosen Hero of Hyrule!"_

Before I could answer her, the vision disappeared. Navi was floating in front of my expressionless face.

"_Are you okay, Danika?" _she asked.

"Y-Yeah, Navi." Looking on, I saw a massive doorway had opened in the Great Deku Tree…it was time to get this show on the road.

…

Fifteen minutes a bunch of hurled Deku Nuts, dead Gold Skulltulas, and burned-up Deku Sticks later (Navi was not at all keen about me using "magic energy" to make things easy), I stood in front of the final door, key in hand, ready to face whatever came next…when Navi asked me a question.

"_Danika…how did you get to be so powerful?" _she wondered. "_You run on walls like its nothing…you ran on water in the village…how do you do it?"_

"Well, Navi…I am a trained fighter. I was trained since the age of four to become a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village, the home to which I can't return. I pledged my life to the safety and defense of my village."

"_Why…can't you go back, Danika?"_

"To keep it simple…freakin' politics. Come on, I wanna get this stuff done before that Sephiroth gets-"

Before I could even react, I was slammed against the wall, a long blade pointed at my throat and a pair of catlike green eyes glaring at me. I thought Sephiroth had been tall before…now, the silver-haired man looked like a titan.

"Finally…I meet the crazed gypsy maid," he said, a smile curling on his lips. "Did you think you were going to walk away from me…without a good fight?"

"I wasn't walking away…you passed out," I replied. "I wasn't going to drag you through the curse-riddled body of the Great Deku Tree and put you in danger. No shinobi worth his or her salt would do that to their wounded compatriots – unless there was no other choice."

"I see…so you weren't in your right mind when we last met up?" Sephiroth seemed more inquisitive this time.

"I was…I was angry, Sephiroth," I said, tears starting to come down my face. "I…lost everything…and I wanted someone to pay for my pain. On top of that…I was being tested."

"_How dare you talk to a lady like that?" _Navi demanded. "_You haven't even got the kindness to ask her what her name is…even after the fact she left you with the Kokiri to protect you?" _Sephiroth paused, his look turning sad. "I…I'm sorry," he said, pulling his blade away and returning it to its scabbard. "As you may already know, I'm Sephiroth, First Class Soldier of the SHINRA Electric Company. I was working with SHINRA on a mission to tag the bodies and artifacts of the lost Nasakura gypsies when that Cerberus showed up. The question is: who are you, how did we come here to Hyrule, and what do you hope to achieve here?"

I smiled. "Funny you should ask…I'm wondering half of that myself."


	5. Impact

Chapter Five: Impact

_**POV: Third-person**_

_Hidden Leaf Village_

The next morning, Nerika Azume woke up late, as was her custom, on the couch in her room, her late-night horror movie binge over. "Oh, damn it," she swore, "Missed the good part AGAIN! Oh well…there's always tonight!"

Changing from her pajamas into one of her very long blue hoodies, she chuckled and bounced off the bed, gathering her weapons…but then, something stopped her. She had been watching a slasher flick during the night…when she thought she had heard a very loud slamming noise, followed by a swishing noise. She thought it had come from another room, but she dismissed it and went down to breakfast, where Ahasi-sensei and Tahana were already waiting for her.

"Hey, you seen Onee-chan?" Tahana asked. "I heard yesterday that she might have been practicing some awesome jutsu."

"I heard that, too – guess she's pulling out all the stops for the Chunin Exam."

Tahana gave a huff. "That's my overachieving sister for you – she has no life. Tell her she can learn a new jutsu, she's gone. Tell her how to control her chakra to the point she could bounce a grapefruit off her damn nose, she'll be training till the cows come home. She's worse than friggin Sasuke, if I'm being blunt – minus the fact boys don't fall all over her."

"Wasn't she just behind Sakura in the intelligence tests?" Ahasi asked.

"By virtue of a half-point, but that was because of a math question, and Danika struggles with any math higher than algebra. At any rate, she takes that bubblegum-haired flowerpot to the cleaners any day of the week in a one-on-one match," Nerika replied. "Add that Sharingan, and Ino would even have a problem."

The others nodded, and the breakfast continued. However, as the dishes were cleaned away and the day's plans were discussed…Ahasi began to feel nervous.

"It's not like her to sleep in this late…" she finally said. "Tahani, Nerika, can you go to the front gates and wait for me?"

"Right!" the pair replied, dashing out the door as Ahasi made her way up the stairs. For some reason…the twenty-five-year-old former Sand jonin felt an unmistakable sense of…dread. Where Tahana and Nerika were wild, free, and lived with devil-may-care attitudes toward life as far as Ahasi could tell, Danika had always made a point of being reserved, straight-laced, and orderly in the face of the world. Even in private, she seemed…distant, and it had only gotten worse with the devastating revelation of her mother's death and her father's infidelity.

She'd always loved her father…he'd pushed her toward becoming a shinobi in her youth, as he was. She had to stifle a groan at how low Ismero Nasakura's star had sunk in the Hidden Leaf…how the great Master of the Pheonixes had literally destroyed himself in his own flames. Now, he was barely worth a mention – even his abilities had suffered as a result of years of indulgence and disregard. His marriage to a woman in the Hidden Mist Village had drawn so much ire – the woman was supposedly a rich heiress – that he, like his daughter, had been stripped of his family crests.

"_That was a mistake," _Ahasi thought to herself as she approached. "_That was a mistake…but the poor girl was so tired of all the fighting she just let it happen." _Drawing a breath, she rapped on the door.

"Danika-chan?" she wondered. "Are you sick? You knew this was our last mission before the exams!"

No answer.

"Danika, I'm not messing around! Come out!"

Still nothing. Ahasi began to feel a sense of panic. Had Danika vanished? Tired of waiting, she pushed open the door, which surprisingly came open…and there lay the one thing that, even through all the trauma, she never expected.

Danika Nasakura was dead – dead in a pool of her own blood, a single stab sound through the chest.

"No." Ahashi said. "No. _No. NO! NO! NOOOO! DANIKA!"_

…

_Devil's Gorge Airspace, Three Hours Later_

"He's never this late, Genesis," Angeal said for the third time, pacing up and down the ship. "We _need _to make sure he didn't get hurt from those bodies!"

Genesis didn't answer him…he had no answer to give him. He had all too often been jealous of both Sephiroth's hero status _and _his ability…and he feared that, once again, Sephiroth had crafted some new great achievement for his personal glory. "We can't, Angeal," he finally said. "If those treacherous dead gypsies got him with their corpses…what would they do to us?"

"Oh, come on, Genesis – they're all dead! They can't hurt Sephiroth – he'd smash them to bits!"

Genesis paused. "These gypsies…it seems as though they worshipped "Jenova" as a goddess, according to one of the few manuscripts there are. I don't know…they aren't like the Wutai (the gypsies were despised by them)…but it seems as though they're taking revenge on this world…whether for the sake of Jenova or themselves, I don't know."

Suddenly, a woman garbed in white appeared, saluting the First Class SOLDIERS. "Angeal, Genesis…President Shinra has issued a mandatory order. Devil's Gorge is to be locked down and investigated for any trace of Sephiroth…and the Mako cache. In the last three hours, it has plummeted to near zero."

"Wait," Angeal asked. "What does that mean? Mako caches don't just disappear!"

"That means there was probably no Mako cache, Angeal," Genesis replied. "I know this is all questioning at best, but I think SHINRA picked the wrong kind of battle to fight. These gypsies…they hung out the bait centuries ago…and we just took it and got caught."

The woman gave him a sideways stare, but then nodded. "I don't know what to think of that…but you may very well be right."

…

_Hidden Leaf Village_

The news of Danika's death raced through the village like a virulent plague, catching everyone completely off guard. Within twenty minutes, investigators and a medical crew swarmed the house, and the corpse was hauled off to the medical examiner's office.

Tahana watched in teary-eyed silence as the body was led out, her face red and blotchy with tears as she struggled to comprehend the horror. _"What happened?" _she asked herself before she moistened her half-sister's lips with water. "_Why didn't Onee-chan just tell me that things weren't okay?_

"Tahana-chan!" her mother called out to her weakly, waving her hands at her daughter. Nerika was already in a heap beside the fifty-five-year-old, sobbing as Tahana appeared. "Have you…heard anything?"

"No. The medical examiner has to do an autopsy…but it looks like she was either murdered or she committed suicide. Stabbed through the heart."

The words sent her mother into a round of fresh tears – causing Tahana to grasp her mother. _"W-why?"_ she wailed.

This dark parade would continue all day and into the night, as thousands of nameless hands and faces reached out to touch, hold onto, and console the bereft mother, daughter, sensei, and their friend. There were many questions, and even more speculations, but all that would have to wait for now.

The Hidden Leaf Village had not just lost a ninja…they lost Danika, the Sorrowful Shinobi of the Sakura.

…

_Devil's Gorge_

Angeal and Genesis couldn't believe the sight of the dead Cerberus behind them…its bloodied, torn body all but blocking the entrance to the Gorge and the ghost village beyond, its heads scattered across the ground.

"It looks like Sephiroth got into the village…he dropped his hand-held computer here, and I'm picking up on all his tags," Angeal said, picking up the tiny computer. "Question is…did he come back around to fight this thing?"

"I don't think that's the appropriate question, Angeal," Genesis replied. "Look at that thing's back…and that head over there. He _did _fight the monster…but he wasn't alone."

Angeal stared at the dull pink blades protruding out of the monster's back. "Pink blades?" he wondered, jumping across the corpse to the bloodied head, a single sharp knife just hanging by a thread. "And this knife…I've never seen a knife like this. Could it have been…a hidden gypsy?"

"No idea," Genesis replied, looking into the many cracks and indentations in the rock walls. "Looks like we need to call in a scientific team for a deeper investigation…President Shinra is gonna be pissed."

…

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

"Wait…you did _what?_" I asked Danika, eyes wide with shock. We'd been sitting in front of the boss's door for about ten minutes, talking as though time had been no issue…when she told me that she had feigned a suicide to come to Gaia.

"Yeah…I did it," she replied, looking at me with eyes of regret. "I hate that I did it…and I know I'll probably regret it to the day I die…but if there's something I can't do, it's keep a secret. Danzo…he'd probably have his men following me to the ends of the earth, just _waiting _for some excuse to make me kill my loved ones. He knew….he knew I had no intentions of hiding the truth from my cousin. He knew I'd talk."

"So," I replied. "Let me get this straight. Your third cousin murdered his entire family, including your birth mother – with the aid of an accomplice – sparing only the accomplice and you. Then, you find out the whole thing was a political ploy to wipe out your village's apparent greatest threat, who were apparently plotting a coup. You, sick of being lied to, figure this out six, seven years later – and you wind up under threat of death from your own local government. So, you fake death and use your power to disappear from the world, making it appear to be a suicide."

"I don't think he knew I carried the Sharingan," she replied. "If he knew, he'd probably have to kill me. Shoot, my father hid his dalliance so well nobody knew until I was twelve – _I_ didn't even know. Just like I knew nothing about Jenova until two-"

"What…" I interrupted. "Wait, did you say 'Jenova'?"

"Indeed I did," she replied. "Is Jenova…someone who loves you, or used to love you?"

"My…my mother's name was Jenova," I said, staring down at the mossy floor. "She…died soon after I was born. My father –" I paused, starting to laugh. "Oh, look at me…I'm wasting time going on about these trivial things!"

"It's not trivial to me, Sephiroth-_sempai_," Danika replied, rising to her feet and producing the key to the final chamber. "I _want _to know your history…what makes you, well, you. You're a special human being…a man of few words, yet fearlessly compassionate. I want you…to become my sensei. I know I'm nowhere close to your level, neither as a shinobi nor as a fighter. Teach me…make me strong in the ways of sword and spell."

I paused, mulling it over. She was small, yes, completely unaware of materia, or even how to use magic. She knew nothing of Gaia, or the Lifestream, perhaps even technology…she was a babe lost in the woods, desperate for a teacher.

Desperate for help. My help.

"I will consent to your request…but I request something in kind."

"And that is?" she asked, her brown eyes blazing in the light of a torch.

"I want to be your student, too," I replied. "Teach me about this energy you call chakra…teach me your ways and your disciplines. I am a solider who may have much to teach…but what good is a teacher who does not also learn along his path? Teach me the ways of the shinobi and the gypsy Nasakuras…teach me all you can. Help me to become as great a student and ninja as I am a swordsman."

She paused. "I will consent…but I've never taught anyone before. As I said, I was only a genin, seventh or eighth in my class based on marks. I was a good shinobi…nothing spectacular, but good."

"You have just as much to learn as you have to teach, Danika-chan…I hope I got the honorific right…and I'm sure we'll be all right," I replied, rising to my feet. "We'll make our way to my home city, Midgar…and you'll be able to access a whole new world, a place where you can go to a real school and learn amazing things."

She smiled – but then, Navi the fairy cut in. "_Uhh, guys…I hate interrupting, but-"_

"No worries, Navi," Danika replied, opening the door with a polite bow. "Come on, Sephiroth-_sensei,_ \- we've got some house to clean."

I nodded, and followed her in – and the door slammed shut, with steel bars behind it. Danika looked up…and I followed suit just in time to see a one-eyed spider skittering on the ceiling, It dropped to the floor, and we both just shrugged.

"That little kid may have needed that slingshot and Deku Nuts…I think a Fire spell and a couple of good slices will clean this up!" I chuckled.

Danika leapt to the wall, aiming a nut at the thing's eye, stopping it cold. Seeing that as my cue, I leapt…and plunged Masamune right through the eye. The thing seized up, contorted, and blew up…with a heart-shaped container emerging from the ash. Danika stepped up, then paused, gesturing to me.

"_Danika…what are you doing?" _Navi wondered. "_You are the new Hero of Hyrule…that Heart Container belongs to you!"_

"Maybe…but Sephiroth here took it out," she replied. "I'm gonna give my credit where credit is due."

I smiled. "It's all right, Danika – I have a feeling you need it more than I do. Besides…I want to match blades with you before this day is over, so go ahead and take it!"

She sighed. "Okay." she said, walking over and claiming the Heart Container…but then, as its power flowed into her body, she screamed and collapsed to the ground, tears spilling out of her eyes from the sudden pain.

"Navi, what's going on?" I asked, dashing to her side…and then, I felt a strange energy inside her. I wasn't even trying…but I felt it.

It was Mako…pure, unadulterated Mako, flowing through her body. It hit me…there had been no Mako cache at Devil's Gorge…or it was all an illusion.

This girl…for some reason, _was _the Mako cache.

"No…no, Jenova, no!" Danika gasped, staggering to her feet. "There's been two deaths already in three days…and I'll be damned if I let it be three!"

"_What…what are you going to do?" _Navi wondered. I watched in fascination as a trio of green circles with Japanese characters formed at Danika's feet, almost of her own will.

"It's obvious, Navi!" I replied. "She's going to break the evil curse on the Tree and save it!"

Danika smiled, a green light flooding her eyes.

"_Hidden Art: Healing Forest Lullaby."_


	6. Healing the Tree

Chapter 6 – Healing the Tree

_**Song Used in This Section: "Sleepsong" by Secret Garden **_**(again, I do not own)**

_**POV: Jenova**_

__"There's been two deaths already in three days…and I'll be damned if I let it be three!" Danika screamed.

"_Danika…he is dying," _I told her from deep within her soul. "_He has lived a good, long life – there is no need to extend it." _

"_And I would agree with you, Jenova," _she said, now using her mind to speak. It was a strange manner of speech – I was within her, and she was outside, but we communed as though we were across a table at dinner. "_But…this whole spiel of the bad guys always winning is starting to get on my last nerve. If this sorcerer wasn't involved, I would have permitted the death. But…I want to jam this sorcerer's defeat so deep into his eye sockets he can't see anything else for a month straight. I want him…whoever he so happens to be, I don't care…to taste complete and utter failure. Utter defeat…and I want him to know that it is__ I__ who delivers it crashing down upon him. Not Sephiroth (although he helped on a grand scale, and I will forever commend him). Not Tahana. Not Nerika. Not Danzo, Sasuke, or even the Third Hokage. Me." _

"_Do you consider this quest a quest of vengeance?" _I asked.

"_Yes…and no," _she admitted. "_I want to save Hyrule…and I want to punish those who threatened my family and life for their own personal gain. They had no reason – no good reason, none – to hide the truth from Sasuke and I. They wanted to destroy Sasuke…and deny me my true family, and they succeeded in the second endeavor. I cannot do the second thing I desire…therefore, this issue I have with the sorcerer has just gotten personal."_

I paused. "_Your heart…it is a good heart, but it burns with fire…and you must wield that fire within you with care. You may either warm the cosmos with its light…or you will destroy it with the flames, until nothing remains save you."_

_ I heard her pause for a moment…and then, she spoke again. "It's not just my heart, Jenova…I'm sharing it with you now, aren't I?"_

_ "In a sense, yes." _

She smiled within. "_Well…do __you_ _desire what I desire? Do __you __wish to see the tables turn on our common enemies, Jenova? Do __you__ wish to see those who have castigated us suffer defeat? Your enemies are _my _enemies now, and the same with our allies. There is no more me or you – this is me _and _you, Jenova. What will it be? Do we warm the cosmos…or do we burn it to the ground?"_

_ "That, child, remains to be seen," _I replied. "_But…for now, shoving failure down the throat of this dark sorcerer…is a very pleasant idea. I know not the way you seek to do this…but take my power, and merge it with your own."_

_ "Very well," _she replied, "_Thank you, Jenova…for saving me. For opening another door…where none seemed to exist."_

_ "You…are welcome. Now…get to work – time runs short."_

…

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

I am a warrior – and a powerful warrior at that. In the seventeen years I lived on Gaia, being bred and raised as a SOLDIER, I had seen a lot of things. Some things had been amazing and incredible…some things had been the fuel of nightmares.

But this…this was on an entirely new level. Little Navi and I stood staring at a red-haired shinobi, barely above five feet tall and about four years younger than me, encased in more energy than a human being should be. I had to question – was this even a human at all?

And then, a strange song came, almost out of nowhere. It was the slow playing of a flute, and a gentle chant:

"_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay lai-lay_

_Loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"_

"_Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby_

_Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay_

_And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow_

_Bless you with love for the road that you go…"_

I stood there spellbound…watching Danika as her form slowly began to change. Her skin turned gray, and her hair became long and silver – just like mine. Her voice, however – that was haunting to me, borderline scary. It sounded so sweet, so loving…like it was not meant for the Deku Tree…but for me.

Who – or _what – _was she turning into? And why was I frozen like this? Was this…a vision of my mother, Jenova?

"_Look!_" Navi said. I stared up – just to see a green stone in a gold setting descending from the ceiling. I grabbed it…but my eyes never left the strange woman before me:

"_May you sail fair to the far fields of fortune_

_With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet_

_And may you need never to banish misfortune_

_May you find kindness in all that you meet_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay_

_May you bring love and may you bring happiness_

_Be loved in return to the end of your days_

_Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you_

_I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay_

_May there always be angels to watch over you_

_To guide you each step of the way_

_To guard you and keep you safe from all harm_

_Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"_

As the song faded, the green light faded away, and Danika's body slowly returned to normal. Navi, meanwhile, was flitting around, making little noises as the yellow mosses turned back to green…and life slowly returned to the inside of the tree.

"_I-Incredible!" _Navi cried. "_She…she did it! She's the Hero of Hyrule!"_

I wasn't entirely sure I followed that assessment…but I knew she had power. Power I could never attain if I stayed with SHINRA.

I would stay put with this young woman…find the source of her energy…uncover every last secret she held. Who knew? Perhaps…she would help me unlock the truth of my unknown heritage, with a little incentive. I smiled…women and girls were always trying to date me, or throw themselves at me. Perhaps…I could do a little extra convincing.

Only time would tell.

I looked at Danika…and she was now on the ground, gasping. I went over to her, kneeling on the ground beside her. "Tree…is safe, but…asleep," she half-mumbled. "The curse…it was strong. Tree…needs to sleep. Will-"

"Shhh…relax. Conserve your energy. We'll get out of here."

"Oh…okay."


	7. The Breaking of the Vow

Chapter 7 – The Breaking of the Vow

_**POV: Sasuke Uchiha**_

Once upon a time, Danika Nasakura was one of my few childhood friends…and she was the definition of daddy's girl. To her, the world was a wide-open book…and it was her duty, above all things, to read every single word on every single page. She was never without a book, and her heart was always open…as was her brain. Her dream was to one day wield the mighty power of the phoenix, like her father before her…but even when she found out she could wield cherry blossoms as her Kekkai Genkai, she wasn't disappointed.

_"Someday, Sasuke-kun," _she told me when we were children, long before the Massacre, "_Someday…I'll be just as great a shinobi as my father!"_

"_I know you will, Danika-chan!" _I had told her. "_I just know it. You already mastered the Fire Ball Jutsu – and with that big brain you have, there's no limit to what you can do!"_

My older brother Itatchi saw many of the same things I did in Danika, so while it was a shock to everyone that he was mentoring a non-Uchiha, Itachi had stood his ground on the matter. "_All talent and knowledge is not in our blood, Father. Danika…while she may not be seen as the greatest, the strongest, or even the smartest…she is the most determined…perhaps the most stubborn. She will obey me completely in the quest for knowledge."_

When the Uchiha Massacre came, however…our relationship changed. Others tried to surround me, especially a lot of the girls...but Danika seemed to know to keep her distance. I knew she was just as angry as I was…hell, he betrayed her just like he did me, perhaps even more so. She trusted him with her life…and would have given hers if he asked it of her. For him to just leave her, without even so much as a good-bye…or even so much as offering to take her with him, in light of all the stuff that would come out later…was a slap in the face. Now, looking back on it, I wonder if he should have taken her away with him, wherever the hell he went.

However, in the years that followed, Danika appeared to have moved on from Itachi…blossomed without his guidance, in a sense, largely with the help of Kakashi Hatake. She never did quite make it to the top of the heap…but if anybody needed her, her katana would be the first one in the fray and the last one to be sheathed.

She was notorious for leaving the Village alone on hare-brained quests for ancient knowledge, or even to hunt down an artifact or two. Anytime anyone wanted to learn something without consulting the library, they consulted her. It had even been rumored that she'd written papers for the likes of Naruto, Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Choji, and Tahana. It was most likely, with her skill in mind, that she was selected for Squad 16. Kakashi had been forced, according to him, to make a last-minute decision between Sakura and Danika, and he chose Sakura because he felt his time would be better spent training all three members of a balanced squad, rather than two ninja in a top-heavy squad with Naruto lagging behind. Personally, I think it would have been better if Danika was chosen – largely because of the revelation of her Sharingan, which oddly manifested in only one eye.

Which leads me to the revelation of her father's infidelity, and by rights, her mother's death. I had just been working on my taijutsu in the forest when the Third Hokage and two members of the ANBU appeared.

"Sasuke-kun!" The Third Hokage called, the look on his face telling me some real serious shit had just gone down. I ran over, confused.

"Lord Hokage…is Itachi here?"

"I wish," he replied then, that response telling me this was bad. "Itatchi…he left another Uchiha behind."

I stared. _Another Uchiha?_ How could that be? Who…_who_ could it be? Someone strong enough to kill Itachi? Had my parents pulled off some scheme and survived?

"You can thank the Master of Phoenixes for that – good grief, that man is a fool. Do you remember Marasuri, your third cousin?"

I groaned. Marasuri. _F-ing Marasuri Uchiha_. That woman…even _I _didn't like her, and that was saying something. A tall, curvaceous, often scantily-clad "woman" with a voice like tainted honey and a deadly wit, Marasuri thought nothing of messing with men's heads – and stabbing them through their hearts - to get what she wanted (usually money, sex, bragging rights, or all three.) What did she use her Sharingan for, you ask? Simple: to infiltrate the minds of men to see how she could part them from their money and get away with it – and the only way I knew_ that_ was when my father had to jail her for embezzlement and attempted murder. None of the adults allowed us anywhere NEAR the witch, and she was barred from family functions after her arrest. She managed to get out of serving hard time on a technical issue, but that was nothing new. Naruto, for all his perverted mind could conjure, was a saint in comparison.

Every single person in her world was a means to her ends – and she wasn't above tossing people out in the cold if they even so much as _tried_ to put their interests ahead of hers – she once left two of her own children out in the street to starve when an ex tried to make her settle down and raise them. The thought of Ismero, a man once venerated the world over for his taming of phoenixes and his brute strength, falling for this woman, nearly made me throw up right there.

Then…the real horror set in. "Which…which one is hers?" I asked, my hands clamming. Tahana didn't fit Marasuri's profile…that firebrand would have knocked her upside the head, then put her on ice – _permanently. _

"Danika."

_"No." _I thought. "_No. No. No. No. No. Ohhh HELL no." _My mind started to race. What did I say to her? What did I tell her? Did I bother saying anything at all? Danika…everything she had ever known was now an enormous lie…and there was no one in the world that could undo what had been done. To make matters worse…we were now cousins.

The only thing I could thank Ismero for…was hiding the truth about her heritage this long. If Itatchi knew…I could barely stomach the thought.

The next few weeks were a lot of rumors, watercooler talk, and fights. Ismero and Danika were stripped of their crests, and Ismero was out of the Village by the end of that week. As for Danika, though…she changed, and not for the better. She shut herself in the library or would disappear into the forests for hours on end, most likely looking for a place to cry in peace. Her training never ended, but…the warm, smiling Danika we all knew had sunk into a cold, dark place. I wanted to tell her about her mom…but there was no nice way to explain her mother without making the situation worse. How could I tell her how evil her mother was…how could I tell her what her mother had done, and that her mother's death may have been for the greater good?

And so it was that I pushed myself even further away from Danika, stuck between trying to tell the truth about her mom…and not harm her any further than she already had been by her father and Itatchi.

When she gave me the sealed box, however…it was a major indication that something was wrong. I didn't consider that she would seriously injure herself…or worse…but her behavior bothered me, almost as though she was getting ready to do something crazy. I wanted to tell Kakashi that Danika probably needed an intervention, possibly needed extra help….but I knew Danika was already getting therapy sessions with the Hokage, as well as close-quarter time with the family that still accepted her (Tahana, her mother, and a couple of aunts). I reassured myself with the knowledge that she would be okay…and that when the time came, she would come forward and speak up.

And then…we got back from the Hidden Mist Village and our mission with Zabuza and Haku…to find that a bizarre hush had sunk over the Leaf Village. White crepe paper fluttered out of every window, and Ichiraku Ramen appeared deserted, much to Naruto's disgust.

"Geez, what's with all this sad stuff?" Naruto said, sliding up to his usual spot. Ayame came out, her face red and blotchy from crying.

"It's…it's…" she started, then burst into tears, pointing down the street. We turned…just in time to see a photograph of Danika being set up in the Nasakura yard.

"No…," Kakashi said. "No…not her…anyone but her!" We ran down to the yard, Naruto uncharacteristically abandoning his spot without eating. I was numb…how could I been so damn foolish?

"_Thank you for everything."_ Her last words to me…and now, she was gone. People were standing around the yard like zombies, Hanashida and Tahana wandering around and talking to everyone. The Hokage stood off to the side, a few tears streaming down his face, which made me swallow.

I had to speak up…I could not do what Danika had done. "Kakashi, I need to talk to you," I said quickly, determined to keep talking.

"Not now, Sasuke." Kakashi replied, trying to hold back his tears.

"No…Danika…she left me something important before the mission…it may say why she died."

Kakashi stopped. "A suicide note?"

"She said she was in trouble," I said, barely thinking. People were looking at us, but I didn't care. Danika probably died as a result of this…I need to get into that box."

Kakashi gave me an odd look, but I didn't budge. "Very well…let's wait and see when the wake is."

"Tomorrow at 10, then the Chunin Exams start," Shikamaru replied blandly. "Squad 16 will go on with just two members in the Chunin Exams in memory of Danika-chan."

"Just the way Danika-chan would have wanted – excellent."

…

We didn't manage to get home until long after dark…but the fact I was breaking my promise to Danika made me feel like crap. I didn't want to lie to someone who was dead – but the fact that she either killed herself or was murdered (I was leaning toward the latter, as autopsy results were still not ready.) I didn't want to believe she killed herself over some stupid box…didn't want to think that was the reason she died.

But…the truth, however weird or awful it was, needed to be out there. Somebody wanted Danika to shut up…and she trusted me to protect that truth now more than ever.

Finally, Kakashi came up to my room as I produced the box. "So this is it, Sasuke?" he asked. "Is this why you put a seal on your bedroom door the other day."

"Danika-chan trusted me to protect it until I left the Leaf," I replied. "But…now that she's gone…"

"You want to understand why she died," Kakashi said. "None of this makes any sense – at all. I don't even want to believe she would kill herself – it seems so out of character for one who was once so happy."

I breathed, then tried to break the seal – no luck. Kakashi, however, chuckled. "That's Danika for you – if she wanted you out of her things, you'd need the best security. However…release!"

The top of the box flew into the air, flipping and landing on the floor. Inside…a lone scroll with the Uchiha Crest on it, leaving both of us confused.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked, pulling the scroll out and unfolding it. "What…oh, no…."

…

Three hours later, I stood in front of the Hokage in his office, furious. I couldn't even speak as he walked into the office, his face lined with worry. "Sasuke-kun…what's wrong?"

"You know…_you knew…and you LIED about it!" _I screamed, shaking. "_You as good as sent her to her death…because you wouldn't tell the truth!"_


	8. Fury of the Gypsies

Chapter Eight – Fury of the Gypsy

_**POV: Danika**_

_Kokiri Forest_

The next time I opened my eyes again…I was lying in a bed, Sephiroth standing over me, a look of concern on his face. Instead of panicking, though…I began taking a real good look at the black-clad former SOLDIER from SHINRA…and I was impressed.

He stood tall, his catlike green eyes permanently locked in a piercing gaze, even when he smiled or held an expression of kindness. He wore a long black trench coat-like garment, a pair of metal guards over his shoulders, but had an awful habit of leaving it open to expose his twelve pack abs (yes, its an exaggeration, but still…), and his huge black boots came all the way to his legs. For a moment, I laughed at all the girls who threw themselves at Sasuke to myself…they didn't know what they were missing. Yeah, I was only thirteen, way too young for him, but…hey, I could admire and appreciate the view.

"Danika-chan…are you okay?" he asked, sitting down beside me on the bed, laying his hand on my forehead. It was then I noticed a dull aching in my ribs.

"Oh...," I said. "Well…I'm better…but I could still use a minute. Sorry about yesterday…I know you wanted to spar."

"Well, the day's not over yet, but you used a massive amount of energy to save the Great Deku Tree. I wanted to face you at full strength, so I'm okay with waiting a day or two if it means you come at me with everything you have."

"I can deal with that," I replied. "By the way…that cousin I told you about, Itatchi…he has a brother he spared as well…a boy named Sasuke. I…did what I did…to tell him the truth of what happened to his family…and mine, by the way."

Sephiroth's expression turned sad. "Did you...love him?"

"It's…awkward. I confessed that I had feelings for him before I knew he was my third cousin, but after I found out, I let any hope of a romance go. Our family…the Nasakura clan…had a nasty habit of getting involved in…let's just say some questionable relations, sexual or not, incest sometimes included."

"Wait…," Sephiroth said. "There's a clan of Nasakuras _and _an entire village of them?"

I stared at him, only mildly surprised. I hadn't told him about the heritage of my clan, and didn't think it'd be a problem, but it was time for the truth. "Well…apparently, on your planet (whatever you happen to call it), there was an entire village of people called Nasaukra gypsies. I don't know which way it goes, but I know that several times during my family's storied past, we'd have clusters of people just appear and disappear, most of the time without warning or explanation. The largest one in our recorded history was about five hundred years ago, when a group of about fifty or sixty of them joined a separate group of about eighty near where the Sand Village is today. People got so pissed off about it they wanted to start a war to kill them off right then and there, but our clan leader at the time, a man named Jenosho Nasakura, sent his people northward – burning down the massive breadbasket the desert used to be as he made his way to the icy northern lands with his people."

"My planet's name is Gaia, but it's typically just called the Planet," Sephiroth explained. "So that means…those that died on that awful day in Devil's Gorge…were buying time to let another group escape. Jenosho…the name means "son of Jenova"…was one of the big leaders in the Hidden Village of the Gypsies. On Gaia…it was said he could make Mako-infused monsters obey him without a question, and once commanded the power of a phoenix."

"So could my own father, Ismero," I replied. "Out of all our Kekkai Genkai…that ability is the only one that can be passed down to another member. Each of us is born with a unique and distinct power, one that we carry to death. But…if a member shows a true heart of sacrifice…he or she can be chosen by the phoenix to be its master. My father…back in the day, before he became a total jerk…he was a loner, big time loner, even though he was the first to be chunin in his class. Nobody liked him, couldn't get a girl if his life depended on it, even Granny Soria wouldn't teach him her Sacred Arts…until the day his little brother suddenly collapsed from a previously undetected heart condition. He…against the word of every doctor in the Hidden Leaf, he stepped up and gave his brother his heart, taking another from a dead donor. He wasn't expecting the phoenix to choose him…but it did. After that, he went into the desert for fifteen long years, honing his skills until he mastered them. He came back at thirty-one…and played a massive role in the Third Great Shinobi War.

"Chunin?"

"Second-class ninja," I replied. "The pyramid goes Academy students, then genin, chunin, special jonin, jonin, then elders, then Hokage."

"I see," Sephiroth replied. "So you were a genin, then?"

"Yup."

"Tell me about this "Granny Soria," Sephiroth asked. "She…seems very important to you."

"Yeah…she was, and still is. She was a stubborn little woman, very much attuned to the spirit world and the ancient gypsy ways. She, at one point, pushed for an arranged marriage for me, as I was the eldest child of her eldest son, in order to secure her family's blood. When my mom shot that down, it set up some bad blood…but she saw me to be the "future phoenix wielder of the family," or its "greatest priestess of Jenova."

Of course, my mom dismissed it all as a fairy tale…but I saw it as her way of pushing me toward whatever I dreamed of, fairy tale or not. I spent a lot of time with her before the cancer took her…and she taught me her Sacred Arts…which, in most cases, is a small amount of chakra mixed with an ancient form of magic passed down from Jenova to the gypsies centuries ago, usually encased in music the caster has not learned. It's not like the spells you used during that Cerberus fight…this stuff covers things like deep healings, resurrections, emotional manipulations, even curses. If I, say, wanted to control your mind so you have to fall in love with me, then I could do it."

"So…ordinarily, something like healing the Great Deku Tree wouldn't be in your power to do, unless you fused with my dead mother as I think you did."

"What?"

"I told you my mother's name," Sephiroth replied. "What I _didn't _say…was what I was at Devil's Gorge for. I was on a mission for SHINRA, my world's government, to investigate a Mako, or energy cache, in the area. SHINRA mines for Mako energy the world over…and this Mako cache popped up out of nowhere about a month ago. Trouble was…Devil's Gorge is one of those cursed places people talk about on television. Ever since the slaughter there some five centuries ago by the predecessors of SHINRA…the water source has been nothing but blood, and people who go there are…shall I say, prone to misfortune. People have died, families and fortunes wiped out…you get the idea. SHINRA had been excavating areas around gypsy burial sites, and bad things happened."

"Ohhh…Granny Soria would have tanned their hides," I replied. "You NEVER trouble a gypsy's grave without anticipating consequences unless you perform the five cleansing rituals…or are moving the body to a holier site. So…they believed you could be immune to this evil?"

"I guess," he replied. "However, back to what I want to tell you…there was no Mako site when I finished with the investigation. That Mako cache…it's you. So…seeing as you're not someone who was engineered in a lab like me…your Mako energy level is now off the charts…more than likely higher than even mine, if I can get the proper testing. My question is: did you or did you not fuse your body to the ghost of my mother?"

Before I could answer, Saria and Navi came in, a tray of food in hand. "Th-Thank you so much," Saria said, nearly on the verge of tears again. "You…Danika…you saved our father, the Great Deku Tree!"

"Not…not necessarily," I replied, still nervous about the whole testing thing. Sephiroth seemed to sense my nervousness. "He has to sleep for a period of time…possibly several years, to ensure that the curse has been excised. Even then…it may not completely cure him, and his life may be cut short."

"_We don't mind, Danika!" _Navi said. "_Come on, eat!" _

I did, but I kept looking at Sephiroth, scared that he wanted to make me into some kind of lab rat. "Danika-chan…did I scare you?"

"Uh…duh! Yes, you did…I've had a bad week as it is…I don't want to be tested by any scientists, period!"

He sighed. "If you don't want to be tested, then that's totally up to you. I just want to know if my mother is stored within you."

"That's gonna be a hard maybe," I replied, calming down a bit. "I don't think so…but again, we'd have to check…that, and verify with your records."

"That may be tough…SHINRA's sealed my records, so only I and SHINRA scientists can access them…and they'll probably say I'm dead, so that's going to get even harder."

I smiled. "That's what shinobi are for, Sephiroth. You want access to things nobody gets access to, you call in a ninja. I'm not the greatest in the world…but gathering intel is my forte."

"Excuse me?" Saria asked, not catching on.

"Don't worry, Saria…it's shop talk," Sephiroth replied, letting me finish a bowl of what appeared to be mildly spicy soup as another tray came in. "Danika and I are – should I say, were - soldiers first and foremost to our respective homelands…it's quite normal for soldiers to talk about things people don't get."

"_Well…I should let you know that you two soldiers need to see Princess Zelda with the Kokiri Stone you have there, Sephiroth." _

Sephiroth groaned. "Just like my bosses in SHINRA…you do one thing for these people, they want fifteen. Danika-chan…I think we both ended up opening a can of worms."

"Well, Sephiroth-sensei…we spar in the morning, then I'm on to whatever palace this Princess Zelda is," I replied. "You…you don't have to come with me if you don't want to…I mean, I did make this mess…you don't have to get caught in it."

"And pass on potentially finding out the truth of who I am? Not a chance, Danika-chan!" Sephiroth replied. "Where you go, I go."

I smiled. "Thank you…Sephiroth-sensei."

…

The next morning, I woke up before dawn with a pit of dread in my stomach…today was the day I got my butt kicked seven ways to next week. I went outside the treehouse to stretch – I figured I would need every tool in my arsenal to keep up with the beast that was Sephiroth. One-shotting a giant spider and cutting off a Cerberus's heads was only part of it…this guy had devoted his life to fighting – and killing – just about anything that moved.

Me? I had been training and fighting since I was four, after a fight with a schoolyard bully over lunch money revealed my Kekkai Genkai got me sent straight to the Academy two years early. However, as usual, my mother didn't like the idea of sending a ten-year-old to "endless war", and what happened to Itachi only ensured I was held back those two extra years.

"Trying to get the jump on me?" Sephiroth's semi-sweet voice asked me from the treehouse, smiling as he leapt to the ground, sword in hand.

"What do think I'm gonna do when I'm facing a guy who I know's gonna kick my butt?"

He laughed. "Don't worry…I think you're tougher than you give yourself credit for. Just give me all you have…and you'll be all right. Are you ready?"

"I guess…let's do this."

Realizing giving Sephiroth the first move would be suicide, I leapt skyward, running across the trees and out into the woods to get away from the civilians. When I knew I was at a safe distance, I prepared my first move, listening for Sephiroth's feet.

"Going on defense, Danika-chan?" Sephiroth said, almost blazing past me as I activated the Sharingan. "Ahh…don't want anyone getting hurt, I see – good tactic."

"Safety first, Sensei," I said, listening - and then, Sephiroth cried out as one of my pink blades stabbed through his boot and into his foot – dead on. He tried to squirm away but found himself held fast. "Ahh…ya fell for it, excellent. I was wondering if you'd pay attention." Soon, he found himself trapped inside a pink barrier, and I leapt through.

"Wha-?"

"I was working on this one for the Chunin Exams…Neji'd probably have issues with this, too…," I said, smiling. "Sakura Art: Thousand Sword Slash!" Then, the barrier burst into a barrage of sword strikes, but I knew better than to sit back and gloat. I moved out of the barrier and readied myself on the ground below as Sephiroth fell…but to my shock, _there was barely a scratch on him!_ What was this guy, made of steel? Scared he'd make a move, I swung down with my katana, aiming for the abdomen…but he grabbed the blade, smiling.

"Do you believe a little misstep like _that _will slow me for long?" he said, grinning as the blade sliced his hand, swinging at me with his free hand. Terrified, I flipped him on his back as he nailed me in the cheek, kicking him into the air, then slamming him back to the ground. He let out a groan…but I was beginning to be scared of what was happening inside _me. _Every cell in my body…seemed to be acting like a thousand tiny power plants, recharging my chakra as fast as I could burn it.

Knowing I couldn't wait, I pulled my katana out of Sephiroth's bleeding hand…and he smiled as he pulled his Masamune, ready to make hash of me. He swung…and my three-foot-long katana just _barely_ managed to block his seven-foot-bememoth. My body felt like a giant generator…and I didn't know how much longer I could hold back the energy.

"That's your Mako reacting, Danika-chan," Sephiroth said, swinging again for another narrow miss. "Don't be scared…let it out! Don't hold back!"

Those words were all I needed as I balled the Mako into my fist with a free right hand. With a desire to win burning in my breast, I leapt onto the Masamune and swung for Sephiroth's face, connecting, hard.

_"Fury of the Gypsies!" _I screamed, landing blow after blow on Sephiroth's face and body. At first, he stood like stone…then he staggered…then, he collapsed. However, I still noted how my punches barely seemed to phase him as he pretended to struggle to his feet.

"Were…you even trying…Sephiroth-sensei?" I asked. "I know my blows barely did anything…but…"

"Ahhh…you caught that," Sephiroth said. "If I'm telling the truth, I was barely trying…if I really wanted to…I could kill you in one shot…but I wanted to see what you can do. That Mako energy is starting to make its presence known in you…but you have a way to go before I really cut loose with you."

"_Don't worry," _Jenova said in my mind. "_I have prepared a training ground for you."_

"You ready to go again…or is it time to go to Hyrule?"


	9. A Mother's Wrath

Chapter Nine – A Mother's Wrath

_**POV: Third Person**_

_Gaia, SHINRA Headquarters_

"So that's it, then?" President Shinra asked, staring at Genesis and Angeal. "You mean to tell me we not only have no Mako cache to speak of, but we have squandered our best hero in a wasteland graveyard…and the only thing we have to go on is the DNA of a girl that, as far as our records go, doesn't exist?"

"The scientists believe that the girl is a direct descendant of Jenosho Nasakura, so that is a lead," Angeal replied. "However…according to the records, he went unaccounted for in the slaughter and was believed to have died."

Shinra slammed his glass on the table. "My grandfather always told me the gypsies were cheeky bastards…I was foolish to believe they didn't have some tricks up their sleeves."

"How could Sephiroth have known better?" Genesis wondered. "He believed, as we all did, that gypsies were extinct…all that was left was their graveyards. He went in with all the best intelligence SHINRA had…and he, like so many before him, got caught with his guard down."

President Shinra paused. "Tell me…tell me about this girl," he said. "You say she was _helping _Sephiroth in the battle with this Cerberus that was buried in Devil's Gorge, even cut off one or two of its heads?"

"According to what forensic evidence we have, it appears the Cerberus was after this gypsy girl…Sephiroth's heroic self couldn't stand the thought of this "damsel in distress," but the young lady appeared to have the battle well in hand when he popped up. She took off two heads, one with the knife – a kunai – that forensics removed from the site. Both appeared to suffer trauma to their backs and spinal cords…but they disappeared without a trace. It appears they were taken by a mysterious source after the fight, but there's no video or audio," Genesis said, shrugging his shoulders. "As to a profile, the young woman was between thirteen and fifteen years of age, no taller than five feet, and about 115 pounds. Red hair…and incredible power using pink swords. There were over twenty in the beast's body."

President Shinra sighed. "Lock down all the graveyards of the gypsies to civilians, and dispatch religious elders and pastors to clean them out. All bodies will be taken to crematoriums and burned en masse. All buildings are to be demolished, and all artifacts destroyed. Nothing – not even that which is in a museum – is to be spared. They took our best SOLDIER…so we shall take their memories!"

Angeal gasped. "So…you wish to invoke the Seven-Year-Curse of Death on yourself and the government…even though this gypsy girl was fighting _with _Sephiroth? You…want to ruin everything we have…just to erase a civilization? We just lost Sephiroth…let's not lose anyone else!"

"Seven years of gypsy bad luck is nothing to the might of SHINRA!" President Shinra declared. "The gypsy culture shall have no more sway in Gaia…even if it takes my last breath to do it! Now…both of you…cleanse this world of their history!'

Up in the rafters…out of earshot…a cricket chirped seven times.

…

_Hidden Leaf Village_

A red-faced Hanashida Hyana stared down at her daughter's death certificate, Hiruzen Sarutobi quizzically trying to read her expression. "So…that's it?" she asked with a low growl. "My daughter dies, stab wound in the chest…and all you can say about her death is that it's 'inconclusive'?"

"We…we have no idea what went down in that room, Hanashida," the Third Hokage said regretfully. "There's not enough evidence to prove conclusively that she killed herself or was murdered. With the body cremated, there's no way to go back…and even with all the evidence, there's still no way to conclusively-"

"CUT THAT SHIT OUT!" she screamed, letting the death certificate fall to the floor as she tried to lunge for the Hokage's neck. Ahasi, thankfully, was standing in the room.

"Shield Art: Barrier Jutsu!" she yelled, and a clear shield appeared between the two, stopping the murderously angry mother from strangling the Kage. "Hanashida, this is completely unnecessary-"

"_Is it, Toshiyori-sensei?" _she snarled. "_One night, __my__ little girl – which I permitted this village to train, despite my fears they would use her like a tool – finds out the truth about half of her family's death, and this man in front of us allows somebody to threaten __my__ baby with killing her daddy's family...including me and her baby sister. Then, very next day…__my__ daughter, no doubt scared to death, either lets someone kill her or kills herself in HER OWN ROOM – in order for the whole world to know the truth! Then, instead of taking the time to take a full investigation, he just writes the WHOLE THING OFF AS F-ING INCONCLUSIVE, AND DOESN'T THINK MAMA'S GONNA BE SMART ENOUGH TO FIGURE OUT HE WANTS TO COVER UP HIS OWN SHIT!" _She sucked in a deep breath before speaking again.

"Hanashida…she's not-"

"Like hell she ain't, Toshiyori!" Hanashida railed. "Marasuri…she as good as _gave _me that baby…the only good thing she ever did! Danika was and _is MY BABY…and if you think that changes now, you're all F-ING STUPID!" _Then, in an act of rage, she slammed her fist into the barrier…and despite the fact it was supposed to be an impenetrable chakra shield…it shattered as blood streamed down the old woman's right hand.

Toshiyori stood stunned.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi…pray to the gods you never tell me who threatened my baby girl," Hanashida said, quivering and ignoring her bleeding arm. "I may have dropped out of the Ninja Academy at eleven because I was supposedly too fat, deaf, and dumb…but if I find out the name of the bastard…I will train so hard to rip out his petty throat that he won't have a chance to save his own ass. You think Sasuke's an avenger…honey, he ain't seen nothin' in the revenge department. He ain't seen Mama…but he's sure as hell about to!"

"Hanashida…you'll die before you get that chance," the Third Hokage replied. "You…you don't-

"Get the f- out of my house, both of ya."

Realizing she wouldn't budge, the two left, leaving Hanashida alone. She then went upstairs to her older daughter's bedroom, which had stood untouched since the death, her headband sitting untouched on the stripped mattress. Gripping the headband, she let a new stream of tears as she wiped the blood from her arm.

She had been born deaf, the middle child in a family of four brothers and two sisters. Her family, the Hyanas, were devoted to family and village above all – but she had felt overshadowed and alone, struggling to get into the Academy with her poor hearing. A surgery to remove her adenoids only compounded her problems, which led to a toxic relationship with food – which quickly led to severe bullying when she got into the Ninja Academy at eight, overweight, still hard-of-hearing, racked with constant ear infections, and far behind her peers. For three long, painful years, she struggled in the Academy – until one day, right in the middle of a test, she walked out of class and never returned.

For years afterward, she struggled mightily just to be an ordinary person – she studied accounting, but was too scared to go on to higher education, so she worked as a cashier, sometimes working for Ichiraku Ramen on the side. However, deep down, she always regretted her decision to walk out on the Academy…even as war took three of her brothers and one sister. Depressed and overwhelmed, she took a trip to the desert highlands to clear her brain in the weeks leading up to the Third Great Shinobi War, where she met Ismero Nasakura.

As usual, nobody saw them coming together…everyone swore Ismero would never marry the likes of Hanashida, let alone date her. "_She's fat, almost thirty, and a dropout," _she recalled someone saying. "_Him marrying her is an act of sacrifice!" _But, despite all the odds and the Third Great Shinobi War, they did just that – even though, except for the two kids she got out of it, it would prove to be the big waste of fourteen years of her life. She should have seen his cheating ways…should have guessed he didn't really love her.

But…her kids had made it all worth it. Tahana, her lovely little ice queen, building "ice castles just for Mommy," in exchange for cookies…and Danika, who embraced all her dreams with both arms open wide. Despite her fears, Hanashida watched with pride as her daughters became genin together, teaching the world…and each other…just how powerful they could be.

But now…with her daughter dead, and no one telling her the truth…Hanashida wanted something new for herself. She was tired of her bullies and the doubters. She was fifty-five – yes, time had not been kind to her – but the Leaf Village had put Hanashida Hyana, the Master of Cookies, down one time too many.

Deafness was no excuse anymore – she had hearing aids. Her weight was no excuse. Her health, chakra, and lack of ability was no excuse.

All the things she'd once hid behind crumbled…leaving something new in their place. It didn't matter if she died in the effort…Hanashida Hyana was headed back to the Ninja Academy even if every power in the heavens, earth, or hell blocked the entrance.

"_Danika, baby…I didn't get to see you be a jonin…or fulfill your ninja dream of teaching the next generation," _she said, clutching her dead daughter's headband in her fist. "_But…Mama's gonna make her dreams come true, and wear your ninja headband like her own! In the words of Naruto-kun…believe it!"_


	10. Princess of Destiny

Chapter Ten – Princess of Destiny

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

__"Shame we couldn't make Link's funeral," Danika said as we made our way toward the bridge that led out of the Kokiri Forest and out into Hyrule proper. "Can't be helped, though…I'd probably be bawling my eyes out regardless."

I sighed. "What did you say did him in again?"

"The same black monster that killed my Granny Soria: advanced metastasizing pancreatic cancer that got to the brain, definitely Stage 4," she replied, staring at the water in agony. "Let me tell you, sensei – if I had to give up every ability I had in exchange for one permanent change in this universe, that monster known as cancer would cease to exist – permanently."

I stared out over the expanse. "You have far more altruistic goals than I would in the same situation."

She looked at me. "Okay…let me take out the sacrifice part of the deal, Sephiroth-sensei. What do you – and it can be anything and everything in the world, no limits – want in this world?"

I chuckled. "Woman…you cut deeper with your tongue than you do your blade," Then I paused a minute. "Let's see…if I could have everything I wanted in this universe…I'd start with a home, in a small town, place where everyone knows everybody. I'd have a real mother and father…I'd know who I was, and what I belong to. I'd probably have some kind of dog…I like dogs. I wouldn't have spent my childhood in and out of scientific labs and training rooms, then shuffled off to endless war from one end of the Planet to the other.

"Don't misread me – I have lived and breathed war and conflict all my life. It's my passion…what I have devoted my whole life to, and what I'm good at. But…sooner or later, I know my war days will come to an end, and then…what will I do? What do I get to go home to? I have no family, no real friends, save Genesis and Angeal…and now, you too."

"Whoa," Danika said, her face turning red. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…hold your Ichiraku Ramen…me? Your friend? You can call me that…after all the nasty stuff I pulled?"

"Well…why not?" I asked. "My friends…they're always trying to one-up me, always wanting my so-called "glory" for themselves. I haven't known you a week…and I know already that you're not like anyone I've ever met. You…you make me want to open up to a world I've never seen. You…make me want to talk, and ask questions, and…I don't know. You just…you're the someone…that made the world look new to me."

"Does this have anything to do with the fact I may or may not be possessed by your deceased mother?"

"Danika! Sephiroth!"

We turned to see Saria running down the bridge, tears still in her eyes. She held a musical instrument – a small ocarina in her hand. I had seen it before – she and Danika had been fussing over it the night before, learning a song or two. Danika…I had to wonder about her. She seemed to like being with people…but it seemed all she was doing was running from something. I knew her dad had been a jerk and there was some sort of political turmoil going on back home, but I knew I wasn't getting the whole situation – which was something I needed to remediate.

"Please…both of you," she said, handing the ocarina to Danika. "I know…if Link were still here, and it were up to him…he would have carried out the Great Deku Tree's mission wherever it led him. Please…take this ocarina with you as a token of his memory, and finish this task in his name.

A tear welled up in Danika's eye. "Saria…we will," she said. "I…I came from a village where we honor the memory of the dead (dead or not), and I promise you…I will finish this job even if it means I end up in the grave as a result."

"I will do all I can to complete Link's mission, Saria," I replied, patting her shoulder. "Combined…there is nothing that can stop us. This sorcerer…no matter who he is, he stands no chance if he and I cross blades. He may match young Danika-sensei here…but he stands no chance against me."

For a minute, I was sure Danika would accuse me of bragging, but to my surprise, she just smiled. "Saria…help Mido take care of these people until the Great Deku Tree can wake up again. While he's asleep…he won't be able to defend the Forest as well as he once did."

She nodded, wiping away her tears. "Yes…but its better than if he died," she admitted. "The villagers…even though you are not Kokiri, we accept you as one of our own, Danika…and you as well, Sephiroth. Please, someday…if you two ever manage to go back to where you both are from…please, bring your friends and families to us, so we can see them too."

We smiled. "We'll try…no guarantees." I said, terrified of the thought of bringing anyone from Gaia into the Kokiri Forest…it would be a timber yard to them. Then, we turned and left.

"Remember my song, Danika!" Saria cried.

"I know it like the back of my hand!"

…

As the forests of the Kokiri melted into the wide open plains of Hyrule…I saw a gleam in Danika's eye. "Does that look mean your ready to start my training, little sensei?"

"You read me like a book," she said, smiling. "In fact, I already started when I gave the explanation of what chakra is…but this looks like an area where I can start optimizing your chakra control. You know your weapons…big problem there is that my supply of shuriken-"

"_Don't worry," _a strange voice said. "_I've got you both covered." _

The world around us both turned black, transforming into what appeared to be some kind of simulated space – what it was exactly, I wasn't sure. "Any idea what this is?"

"_This, my dear Sephiroth, is a place where time and space has no bearing – a world sandwiched between worlds, if you will," _a voice said. We turned to see a gray-skinned woman with silver hair dressed in a white yukata similar to Danika's.

"This that training ground you were talking to me about, Jenova?" Danika asked.

"_Yes, my dear friend," _she said. "_Here, you will be able to train unimpeded by the monsters of Hyrule, or any other world where you may go. As long as you are here, time shall remain frozen, and you are impervious to attack so long as you are in this place – and you cannot be killed here either. Here, weapons, materia, and chakra have no limit, and you can even simulate battles with opponents and areas from different worlds. The only thing that has any kind of limit here is your imagination."_

I was stunned. "M-Mother?"

For a moment, she and I looked at each other – I in hope, she in confusion. My face didn't show it, but my stomach was a ball of knots. "_Please…" _I almost prayed to myself. "_Please…if there is some kind of deity that could hear me right now…help me find the truth of who I am!"_

"_Sephiroth…you won't like what I have to tell you."_

"Whether I want to hear it or not doesn't matter, Mother," I replied. "Just…just tell me the truth, please. I don't care if it hurts."

Jenova paused. "Sephiroth…I am not your mother, even though I would want to be. You…are a human being, just like Danika here. The difference between the two of you…is that Danika chose to be infused with my cells, which gives her power that will one day surpass your own.

"You…however…have been SHINRA's experimental pet the whole time, the human son of a man named Hojo and Lucretia Cresent. Lucretia…had visions of you becoming a monster, and she attempted to commit suicide in an attempt to absolve herself of her shame. Failing that, she sealed herself in a crystal cave, where she remains at this hour. Your father, meanwhile, took you from her before she could hold you…he experimented on you and your body in an attempt to create a Cetra, a member of the race that sealed me away so long ago. Your father infused you with my cells even before you were born…and used you like a lab rat."

I looked out into the empty blackness…Danika looked like she wanted to hug me or hold me…but I felt like someone's dirty rag that had been tossed into the garbage. Flashes of memories flooded my head, and I grabbed it with my hands, screaming like I'd never screamed before, taking the form of words I couldn't physically say in that moment.

_Everyone…everyone…they all lied to me! The scientists…President Shinra…hell, had Genesis and Angeal lied to me about being my friends? Was everything everyone ever said to me…was it a lie?  
_Suddenly, another series of loud screams joined my own – and I turned to see Danika screaming, which was confusing to me. This…this wasn't her issue…why was she screaming_ with_ me? I stopped…then she stopped as well, tears I couldn't bring myself to cry coming down her face. She came to me, most likely feeling it was now safe to hug me, but I pushed her back.

"No…Danika, no," I said, shaking. "I don't want to-"

"Would it help you grieve…if you hurt me?" she asked, her voice turning dangerously sweet and her eyes turning green with Mako…making me wonder if she'd lost it. "Please…if it would make you happy…go ahead and crush me. Strangle me. Leave bruises up and down my body. Beat me to a bloody piece of pulp…if it would make you happy, take your anger out on me…long as you don't-"

"STOP TEMPTING ME, DAMNIT!"

"It's better you do that than grieve all alone!" she screamed, the tears coming back down her face. "Sephiroth…a year ago, I found out my dad had lied about my birth…lied about my mother all my life, implanting me into my step-mother with my embryo in order to cover up his dalliance! When I found out…when I knew I had the Sharingan in my eye…my dad treated me like a piece of garbage…he even told me at one point when he got drunk he'd rather have a dead daughter than me for a daughter! Ohhh…_can you imagine all the nights_ I wanted to slam a kunai in his throat, wrap a garbage bag around his miserable head…every dirty, miserable, murderous thought that crossed my mind. I didn't care if I went rogue…all I wanted was for that man to shut up and go away to some place I would never see him again! He'd never touched a drop of liquor before the day I found out…then, he started indulging in dirty books and drinking whenever the desire hit him.

"But then…the worst part was my so-called friends and mentors. Oh…they'd grieve with me and my sister for about a week…but then it was back to business. 'Move on,' they said. 'The mission matters more than your feelings' they said. They said they knew what I was feeling…they were lying through their teeth the whole damn time, and I pretended they cared. The counsel of the Hokage was nothing but worn out old platitudes…but I pretended to get better so I could make everybody think I'd moved on. It was better than murdering my dad and the little harlot he married…then he tried to get me to his wedding to show me he still cared…and that was only when I told him all the awful comments he made to me and sis when he was drunk!"

Her face was red by then, and we were both shaking. We were angry…even Jenova had backed away a bit. "So…you're wondering if I'm crazy for permitting you to strangle and beat me. I'll admit it…I probably am. Hell, I've probably gone half-mad already…but I'd rather you beat me to death than let you cry and grieve all by yourself."

I stared at her…then I ran to her, encapsulating her in a hug. "Danika…I can't do that to you. We-we're lab rats…the rejects of two worlds people only want when they want somebody dead or they want money. We…we lab rats, like it or not…we need to stick together…and its time the lab rats started running the laboratory."

"That anything like the inmates running the asylum?"

We laughed.

…

A long training session in The Screaming Place (what we named the simulated world Jenova created for us) and a brief fishing trip using a couple rods made of Deku sticks, nuts and some twine I had carelessly stuffed in a back pocket, we made our way into Hyrule Castle Town. It was mid-afternoon, and we had stuffed our pockets so full of Rupees we had holes burned in our pockets.

"So…how do we tackle this, sensei?" I wondered. "You seem like a woman who wants to get her business done first, then stock up."

"You hit the nail on the head for me, Sephiroth – and by the looks of these people…hey, hang on a sec," she said, running to speak to a small red-headed girl standing by herself in the square. The two conversed a few minutes, then Danika came back.

"What was that all about?"

"Malon of the Lon Lon Ranch…she told me her dad was on a milk shipment, and he's gone missing…let's get going and get him out of there before his situation gets worse. She also gave me an egg…I'm gonna keep it with me a minute."

"Wait…we'll probably need permission to get to the Princess…how are we going to get into the palace?

She smiled. "Sephiroth…many situations require warriors…but its situations like these when you call on a shinobi! Follow me, and I'll show you another one of my tricks.

…

Twenty minutes later, I was standing by a vine wall, watching as Danika (who had now transformed into a Hylian Guard), spoke with one of the guards and disappeared beyond the gates. I stood back, wondering how I could do it…my lack of confidence in the thought that I could be a ninja bubbling in my brain.

"_Sephiroth…I know this seems really, really difficult, but that's normal for someone who starts at seventeen what someone else learned at four, five, and six," _she had said in The Screaming Place. "_You have almost all the building blocks…the pieces are there…all you have to do is pull them together and have the guts to never give up!"_

I nodded my head – she was right. This wasn't hard to start – I just needed to take that first baby step, the toughest step of all. Gathering myself together, I performed the hand signs Danika had made me recite until my hands were sore.

"Transform!" I whispered, then I went for a mirror that was now lost in the pockets of my oversized jacket. Looking down almost absentmindedly into a pool of water, I smiled.

I had done it.

"Sir?" an odd voice asked. "How did you…do that?"

I looked over…to see a Hylian guard staring at me, completely open-mouthed, that I had shapeshifted into a doppelgänger of him. "A young shinobi taught me the trick," I replied. "Would you care for me to show you again?"

"No, sir!" he replied. "I _would _care for you to come and meet Princess Zelda, and help us find that so-called "shinobi" so we can use her techniques to benefit the Hylian army in battle! Please…shift back into your own form, and come with me, sir!"

I did…and burst out laughing so hard I almost got the hiccups.

I was on my way to meet the Princess of Destiny…without even trying!


	11. Marching Towards Death Mountain

Chapter 11 – Marching Toward Death Mountain

_**POV: Itatchi**_

_Akatsuki Hideout_

_One Week After Danika's "Suicide"_

The morning was bright as Kisame and I returned to our hideout after another cloak-and-dagger mission…but it did nothing to quell the sense of dread that had been cutting into my heart over the last week or so.

I couldn't place it…had no way of figuring out whether or not my feelings were founded or not without blowing my cover as the Leaf's double agent…but what stories I _had _been hearing over the last thirteen months were disturbing regardless. It started with the knowledge that I had been outsmarted…by none other than that arrogant harlot Marasuri Uchiha and one of her longtime liaisons, Ismero.

Now, one would thing this was a one-time gig…but no. Oh _hell _no. Marasuri had been after that man's "tail feathers," if you will, ever since before he went into the desert. That whole attempted murder thing…like it or not…was when she tried to poison his then-fiancée, Hanashida. Luckily, the woman had a keen sense of smell, and was able to disarm the death trap waiting for her – which led to the penultimate break-up of the decades-long affair – something that not only earned her the respect of my father, but a close platonic relationship between the head of the Leaf's Police Force and the woman he named the "Great Hokage of Cookies." She may not have been a shinobi…but if you said anyone was above Hanashida in baking, then you were lying.

Thus, the whole revelation of the bastard child of Ismero and Hanashida was not a surprise…but the revelation that the child that had been sired was none other than Danika, my own student, made me have to hold back vomit…and that wasn't even the worst part. With Danika now an Uchiha…and by proxy, sharing my blood, everything I had planned for and anticipated…had now been thrown down the garbage dump.

I was now forced to embrace a "worst-case" scenario. Did I kidnap Danika and kill her, and save her the misery of dealing with what being an Uchiha meant? Did I put her on the same playing field as Sasuke? Or…did I just let the situation play out as before, and not intervene? Despite my severe misgivings on all three fronts, I decided the easiest thing to do was leave my student alone, and see how she played her new hand of cards. My energies, in the meantime, would be better spent making sure Ismero was dealt with…and fast, before he caused Danika too much pain.

And so it was, two weeks later, I made contact with Ismero – in an Hidden Village of the Mist adult literature store, of all places. He didn't see me coming, of course, but when he did, he pulled a kunai on me. "Come to kill me, Itatchi?" he said icily. "Did my little girl send you…or was it my wife, hoping to part me from my money?"

Neither, Ismero," I replied blandly. "I came to give you a personal ultimatum. Now…I could kill you right now, and I doubt anyone would be very upset with me. However…for Danika's sake…I won't."

"Since when did you care for my daughter?" Ismero replied.

"Since you stopped…assuming you ever did. But enough of that. Personally…I never want to see your ugly face around here again…or in the bars. You either get your shit together, repair this relationship with Hanashida, and get back to being Danika and Tahana's dad…or you get so far away from them they never see you again."

"What makes you think I should listen to you?"

"Do you really want to push that button?" I asked. "Because…if you keep hurting those little girls…I will not only expose _every single indiscretion _with Marasuri Uchiha and every other little sin you committed, but I will then disfigure you so badly you can never wield another kunai, let alone feed yourself or go to the bathroom. I can do it right now…I don't think Hanashida will mind shipping you off to a nursing home…save that poor woman a headache."

"You _wouldn't dare…"_

I activated my Sharingan. "Bet me, you fool."

He stopped, turned on a heel, and started to walk away. "Fine."

…

When we got to the hideout, Sasori was waiting for us. "Damn shame," he muttered as he slaved over his latest creation. "What a damn shame of a way to go."

"Excuse us, Sasori?" Kisame wondered. "Someone kick the bucket?"

"Why yes…Danika of the Leaf, Itatchi's old student. It appears she died under inconclusive circumstances…but I suspect it was murder, and public opinion looks like its leaning that way. That kid…apparently she exposed a bunch of high-ranking people's links to the Uchiha Clan Massacre, including the likes of the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura. It basically states that you, Itatchi, were used as a pawn the whole time to stop a coup – would that be true?"

My stomach sank like a rock. This…how did she pull that off? Everything I had planned…it all collapsed in a matter of days. Sasuke…most likely, he now knew the truth…Danika wouldn't have gone without telling him. She probably died because she told him, or somehow died in the process of getting it to him.

I wanted to hit her…strangle her, even…but the question that drove me mad was a simple one.

"_Why?"_

"What…what is the Village doing?"

"No clue…Hanashida has been taking this horrifically…they say she's going to try to go back to the Academy…that old woman won't last a week, as old and overweight as she is."

I slunk off to my chamber…overwhelmed and upset, though I tried to hide it. Danika…I had failed her. I ran over all the things I could have done, even to the point of taking her into the Akatsuki. Yes, it was no place for a happy little girl like that…but…

"Danika…please…forgive me…"

…

_**POV: Danika**_

"The boy…Link…is dead?" Princess Zelda asked me in her garden.

"Unfortunately, yes…and if this evil sorcerer Ganondorf is anything like you claim, he may very well have attacked his pancreas, leading to the cancer that ultimately claimed him. This guy…he may be evil, demented, mad even…but he is NOT stupid. He's seen this story (or something like it) way too many times, and this time he wants a different ending." I said.

"Oh…my father won't listen to me…and Link is now dead," she replied. "Is there…any hope for Hyrule now?"

"Hey, don't fret…I brought a-"

"You talking about me again?"

Just as I was getting ready to mention him, Sephiroth appeared, two Hylians standing at each side of him. "You glorious _bastard_," I said, shaking my head. "I go to all that effort…sneak past guards, climb over a friggin' wall, carrying a stupid rooster that pecked up my arm…and here you come walking in looking like the cat that ate the canary!"

"Well, sensei, that just shows you how excellent a teacher I have in you," he said, smiling softly as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "You're just thirteen, not even old enough to drive a vehicle…and here you are, teaching a war-embittered soldier. Stop beating up on yourself…and start believing in yourself."

Zelda stared at us. "Excuse me…is it wrong of me to assume you two are married?"

I stared in astonishment, but Sephiroth just laughed. "No, no, Your Highness…Danika-sensei and I are horribly mis-matched partners in crime. She's a gypsy ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, queen of the cherry blossoms…and I'm just Sephiroth, a former soldier for the SHINRA Electric Company. She beats up all the bad guys, I just clean up her messes and carry her stuff – including the Kokiri Stone." He then produced the stone, and Zelda breathed a sigh of relief.

I, meanwhile, didn't know whether to smack him or laugh. However…I knew he was right. I was, all too often, my harshest critic – seeing myself as second-rate when compared to Sasuke, Neji, and even the likes of Shino, Sakura, and Ino. My mom had held me back two years to protect me, once after the death of her brother at five (murdered by a guy who had a bad habit of attacking kids), and again at ten after we lost Granny Soria, my dad's brother (the same one with the heart condition, he actually died from a misdiagnosed respiratory issue), and her mother within a two-month span. It wasn't the deaths themselves – it was all the ceremonies, traveling to help with the funeral, and saving my mom from a nervous breakdown – she'd been diagnosed with depression thereafter. Nobody blamed me…but I knew that my mom didn't want me or my sister in this bloody, ugly profession.

I shook my head – Princess Zelda needed me now. "You two…I see you are both extremely talented fighters. But…Ganondorf is powerful…and if he gets his hands on the Triforce, he will be unstoppable. He…he fears no one."

"Has he met a veteran of at least twenty bloody battles?" Sephiroth asked her. "Has he met a man who spent his days eating, breathing, and sleeping war? Or…has he met a woman who wields cherry blossoms like swords, and beats the snot out of monsters and men like its her day job? A woman who healed the Great Deku Tree, and poured out her heart for strangers? Zelda…you sought to pin your hopes on one small boy. Though little Link has fallen, consider yourself thankful…for two new warriors have risen in his place…and even if we fall, good will ultimately win."

Zelda smiled. "Sephiroth…Danika…thank you both for coming. The Emerald of the Gorons…it is located somewhere on Death Mountain…while the Stone of the Zoras is hidden with Lord Jabu-Jabu. You must hurry and find them…then enter the Sacred Temple here in Hyrule…where the Master Sword is kept."

We nodded, then bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

She turned to walk away, then stopped. "Oh! You wanted those guides – I'll be sure to get them for you, Danika! There's also a library on the west side of town – don't be a stranger there."

Sephiroth looked curious. "Foraging guides…I want to make sure we have full bellies."

"Ahh…good move…unlike calling me an illegitimate child in front of a princess."

…

"Good grief, woman…you won't be short on reading material!"

"I'm a nerd – what do you think I'm gonna do?" I said, gathering up my half-stack of cheap warrior training manuals, foraging guides, atlases, and a couple cheap historical and romance books and walking out of the Library door, which Sephiroth held for me. "I learn best by reading – spent half my life in the Hidden Leaf's library, got locked in there a couple different times."

He laughed. "You ever find that rancher?"

"Oh, him? Yeah…offloaded that stupid rooster in the process. What'd you dig up?"

"The Hylian Shield – if we get separated, I want you to be able to defend yourself," he said, handing me the steel shield. "It's better than that piece of balsa wood – it'll hold up on Death Moutain."

"Good move," I said, strapping it to my back. "Personally, I prefer stealth and defense to offense – why kill a guy when you don't have to?"

Sephiroth looked at me knowingly. "How many have you killed, Danika?"

I sighed. "One of the ugliest parts of my job – I killed my first human being at six, mid-level criminal trying to get the jump on my teacher, Iruka. Me being a curious cat, I followed Iruka out of the village – and he got caught with his pants down. They fought…the jerk almost cut off my teacher's head before I slammed a cherry blossom sword into his exposed back. He died en route to a hospital – bled out. Everyone was happy I saved Iruka…I was upset because I killed him. I felt ugly for a couple days. Then my dad told me that it was a part of life…that this was the life I was signing up for. 'It's not a game, sweetheart,' he said. 'You kill or be killed'. Since then, I've killed upwards of thirty people on purpose…some twenty more either on accident, or they died due to circumstances out of my hands."

He nodded. "How many people have you given a ticket to Deathville?" I wondered.

"Too damn many to count," he replied. "Thousands directly – probably more than a million indirectly. You…you're just weeding out bad apples, nothing too serious. Me – I helped subjugate the last free nation on my planet. SHINRA…it was once an electric company, but it's now the sole government of Gaia. President Shinra…he rules all…and if you don't have money, you're a slum rat."

I nodded. "You wanna talk more over supper? My treat!"

"Excellent. Tomorrow…we hit the road for Death Mountain…and the Lon Lon Ranch."


	12. Tahana's Hell

Chapter Twelve – Tahana's Hell

_**POV: Tahana**_

_"F- it. F-ing f- all of it."_

As I walked into the area to listen to a Hokage I had somehow managed lose all respect for in the last week or so, I bit down my urge to scream and start a fight with him. Staring at all the nameless, faceless people around me, I wanted to go off and kill everyone in there, Itatchi Uchiha style. The death of my sister (now murder, which I somehow believed was even less true than the b.s. 'inconclusive' story the Leaf concocted to cover their asses) made me question why I was even loyal to these people in the first place. I prayed for their sakes that they found this so-called murderer – otherwise, I was considering joining up with some criminal organization to find the monsters myself.

"Nasakura!" someone yelled, pointing me toward the bleachers, where a jonin was sitting by a chair – it took all I had not to flip him a bird.

"What?"

"Your mom…we need you to talk her down. She wants to join the Academy…and she won't make it. The hearing aids, the weight, the whole depression thing…we don't need another Danika." The jonin sitting by my chair said.

I stared at the dumbass for a minute. "F- you."

He stared at me like I'd smacked him with a board. "Wha-what did you say, brat?"

I glared at him. "If what I've seen in the last week is any indication…this Village could actually do with a few more Danika's. You people are so conceited…so whiny, so damn concerned about preserving your stupid 'honor' you can't bother telling anybody the f-ing truth. You corrupted a halfway decent kid and turned him into a cold, heartless piece of shit just so you could get away with wiping out half my sister's family. Granted, the slut that used to be my sister's mom was a whore and Itatchi was justified in taking her out…but what in the hell makes you think my mother is gonna sit at home crying and feeling sorry for herself when there are people out there who either killed my sister or put her in a situation where she felt killing herself was the only option?" I said, getting angrier with every second. "That's a mama you f-cked with…make no mistake, you'd be better off telling us who was responsible for my sister's suicide…or the Hidden Leaf is going to one day become a graveyard for all the people the swamp rats are trying to hide behind."

"Your sister had too much honor to kill herself," the nameless jonin said. "She-"

"Don't you parrot that damn narrative in front of me!" I yelled. "My mother has the right to do whatever the hell she wants – if anything, she ought to beat you and every other village official, right up to the Hokage, to a goddamn bloody pulp!"

The jonin opened his mouth again, but then, the Kazekage stepped between us. "Is there some sort of an issue here?"

"Glad you asked, Lord Kazekage," I replied. "I'm trying to grieve my dead _and _participate in the Chunin Exam while my mom is trying to get into the Academy…and _nobody _but me and my mom seem to be on board with it."

The Kazakage gave me a look. "I heard…please, accept my sincere condolences. Danika…she wasn't on the level of my children…but you can rest in the fact that she died to tell the truth, even if it was a truth no one wanted to hear."

"Why does she have to be on anyone's f-ing level anymore, Lord Kazekage?" I asked. "My sister sacrificed everything so Sasuke could know his brother wasn't a bad person, so he could know who the real monsters were. She sacrificed everything so Itachi's name could be cleared to a degree. Nobody had the balls to tell the truth – she did, and nobody wanted to hear it. Yeah, she wasn't the greatest shinobi in the world…there are so many who could surpass her in work in power, talent, intellect, and chakra levels. But…there was nobody, _nobody_, who surpassed her desire to be great. Her desire to be great, to learn everything she could…it wasn't desire…it was straight-up lust. Every minute, every hour, every day…how to learn the next jutsu, push her chakra control and capacity to greater levels…she acted like a whore chasing a rich man…and that was more than enough for her to be great to me."

Suddenly, a hand tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to see Temari staring at me, her usual arrogance gone. "We're up, Tahana-_sempai_," she said. "If you don't-"

"So you're the sorry sucker they put in front of me?" I replied quietly. "Come on, then…I've got better things to do than rattle off my mouth."

Temari nodded, and we went to the ring, the jonin staring at me in disdain. "Begin!" he said, jumping away.

"I'm sorry, Temari-chan…I'm in a bad mood, and you're the fool who's getting the brunt of it."

"Oh, no, Tahana…_please, _indulge me in your rage!" she replied, producing her massive fan. "Don't hold back on my account!"

I smiled, pulling a lone kunai…then, I leapt for her. She threw shuriken at me…and thus began a dance of tossed ice kunai, leaping, and dancing, neither one of us really doing much damage to the other. As she moved, I started tossing my kunai toward the ground…and Temari looked at me in confusion.

"What is this, Nasakura?" Temari asked me. "Giving up so soon?"

I stopped, surveying my handiwork. "I warned you I was coming in pissed," I said, forming my hand signs. "I admit…this is nowhere near my sister's level…but unlike her, I actually like mathematics beyond basic algebra." Smiling, I leapt into the air…and Temari knew I had her. She opened her huge fan, preparing to swing…but it was too late.

"Ice Style: Web Crush Jutsu!" I yelled, watching as my ice moved from kunai to kunai, shuriken to shuriken…just as Temari's giant fan flew at me…and somehow managed to take my right arm off completely at the elbow. For a minute, I grimaced at the pain as Nerika screamed…but then, I had to laugh at her as the web transformed into a gigantic cage…without her fan, she was boxed in worse than a turtle's pecker.

"Ah, Temari…I was afraid you'd get desperate," I smiled, snapping the fingers on my left hand – and it worked, causing the web to collapse in on itself, then roll around on the ground until Temari was trapped inside a giant ice cocoon, unable to move…and dying from rapid-onset hypothermia. "You see dear…I could kill you for cutting off a body part…but I feel generous because…," I watched as my missing limb reformed, ice shooting out of the nub, reforming the limb, and returning to its original skin color.

"Well, I feel generous because I am technically immortal. So long as I do not lose my connection with ice, my body parts will continuously regenerate. If one of my organs fails, or even if I am decapitated, the water of my body will simply move to the removed area and regenerate. The only way to kill me…oh, shit…I'm talking too much. Ice Sword Jutsu!"

A few minutes later, I sliced open the cocoon, and Temari was safely inside, alive but unconscious, blue-skinned from the sudden drop in her body temperature. "That's what happens when you cross me mad…I get diarrhea of the mouth."

A few minutes later, I walked up to the bleachers, feeling hollow. I beat one of the Kazekage's own kids…but with Onee-chan gone, it feel like a half-assed training exercise. Nerika and her Corpse Doll, Jigoku Shoujo, was up next.

A lover of all things weird and horrific, Nerika wielded Corpse Dolls much the way people like Kankuro wielded puppets. Unlike a puppet, a Corpse Doll is imbued with the wielder's deepest, darkest, most malicious thoughts, and drains a wielder's chakra…unless a ninja signs a Summoning Contract with a demon – which means the user's soul gets eaten by a demon at death. I had never seen Nerika with a demonic entity, but I had known for some time that she had been working toward that goal. Out of our squad, Nerika had often been on the same tier as Kiba, Choji, Hinata, and even Naruto…but I hoped that, just maybe, Danika's death would give her the determination to push her even farther. Her opponent, a katana wielder named Tosura from the Waves, would be no easy task…and as the fight began, the swordsman was mopping the floor, hitting her with slash after slash, tearing her Corpse Doll – and her favorite blue hoodie - to shreds.

"No wonder Danika looked down on you and your cheap Corpse Doll…you are _pathetic!"_ he yelled, preparing his Hundred Waves Jutsu for his final strike…but then, the badly bloodied redhead grabbed his sword, stopping him cold as blood trickled down her hand.

"N-No…I am not," she gasped, pulling her shredded doll up, black energy pouring out of every opening in her face. A dark pentagram lit up the floor. "I…thanks to Danika-chan, I've only just begun. Thanks…to her sacrifice…I finally gathered the darkness needed to do _this!_"

Suddenly, her blue eyes turned very, very, black, borderline blood-red as a demonic looking mark appeared on her partially exposed chest. "_O Mighty Power of Darkness, I call upon thee!" _she cried out in a cold, hoarse voice. "_Come to me in my hour of darkness…and take me as your prize upon death!"_

"Holy f-, she did it," Ahasi-sensei said, brushing my shoulder. "She…she sold her soul and secured a demonic contract."

"Did…she really do that because of Danika?" Kakashi, a row behind us, wondered.

"A contract like that requires a hideous amount of pain, loss, evil, or a combination of all three," Ahasi said. "She was always on the verge of it – her mother died young and her dad's been in and out of jail all his life…but Danika…she always saw Danika much the way Naruto does Sasuke, a prim, proper warrior who wouldn't swear for the world. She…she misses her-"

"Sensei, look there!" I yelled, watching in awe as a tall-looking man in a three-piece suit emerged from the pentagram…and then, I had to laugh my head off at the arrogance of Tosura.

She had summoned Sebastian Michealis, the infamous former Black Butler of House Phantomhive (apparently Ciel had become a demonic servant himself at some point), to serve her as her personal demonic servant.

"_If he still works for Phantomhive…oh, Ciel's gonna be pissed!"_


	13. White Flames of the Heart

Chapter Thirteen – White Flames of the Heart

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

_Kakariko Village Boarding House_

"Glorious bastard," I said, laughing at Danika. "One day I'm fearlessly compassionate, the next, a glorious bastard – so, what is it that I am?"

Earlier in the third day of our travels together, we had made it to Kakariko Vllage – and boy, did we have a blast, pun intended. Gathering up chickens for a bottle, tracking down and killing Golden Skulltulas, and Danika taking me on a graveyard tour to learn the Sun Song with her (and getting spooked by strange, corpselike creatures called Re-Deads in the Royal Family's Tomb).

"It's both, Sephiroth-sensei," she said, reclining in a cheap white nightgown. "You are fearless, compassionate, and a dangerous swordsman…ahh, dang it."

"What's wrong?"

"Friggin' back's killing me again…stupid Cuccos…I get in trouble when I lift things and train way too hard. Doctor told me I have a seventy-year-old's back waiting to kick my butt at thirty-five, probably gonna have to hang it up at forty, forty-five if I'm lucky. My family…has a notorious history of health issues – if the shinobi world doesn't kill us, the diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer usually will. "

"Did you go to The Screaming Place without me _again?_"

"_Yes, she did!" _Navi tattled. "_She'd live her whole life in there fighting all the simulations and studying its massive libraries of books and scrolls if she could!"_

"Well, what do you think I'm gonna do when I'm fighting alongside one of the greatest swordsmen I've ever seen, most likely of all time?" she said. "If you wanna run with the greatest, you have to train to be one of them."

I gave her a coy smile, rising from my own bed, having taken off my uniform and switched into a pair of black boxers. "Well…that is true, Danika…but greatness will be short-lived if you never take the time to take care of you. You are special…precious, even. Out of all the people in the world, you are the only you there can ever be. You don't need a special title, or to "be someone" to be loved, appreciated, or even wanted. You don't need great power to be special…you already are."

She looked at me. "You…you mean that? My…dad used to…"

"Forget that fool," I said as I knelt beside the bed. "Forget that man ever existed. Neither you nor your half-sister deserved that disgusting piece of a man. Now…if you'd like…can I rub out your back?

She hesitated, but I helped her turn over, lifting her nightgown. "If it hurts, please, tell me to stop."

She paused a minute. "How about we come up with a danger word or phrase – something no one understands but you and I? If one of us crosses a line, or we come up against something that could take one of us out, we use our word – it'll be our way of communication."

I looked at her, pondering for a moment. "Leaf…Genesis?"

"The name of my village and the name of your friend…sounds good to me. Leaf Genesis it is," she said as I laid my hands down, being careful not to hurt her. "Hey…are you doing…ooh, little bit lower…okay?"

"You mean, with all the information about me and my parents?" I said, listening to her and her happy moaning noises. "Well…no, I am not. That hack Hojo…being my dad…the fact that my mother ran away on me instead of actually, you know…_bothering _to fight_ for_ me…I think I actually cried last night in my sleep. But…I guess I, like you, have been running from the problem in a sense. Hyrule…we've got a world full of helpless people that need us in this fight against Ganondorf. He and his Gerudo people have been terrorizing people every century over a stupid relic…and innocents continue getting caught in the crossfire. We…we're the lab rats, like I said. No one has ever really wanted us for who we were…if the scientists had their way, I'd be a Cetra, not a human infused with the cells of Jenova."

"And if…oh, yes, Seph, you're getting that bad knot, that one kills me," Danika replied. "If the ninja had their way, I'd be fighting my sister in the Chunin Exams. Heavens, Tahana…she'd probably pass the whole thing, if she sets her mind to it."

"Tell me about this 'Tahana,'" Sephiroth replied. "She seems…like a polar opposite to you,"

"She'd always considered me her personal rival – she and Nerika both. She used to think I was somebody who didn't want to play with her when we were little…but then…after that mission with Iruka…

…

_Hidden Leaf Village_

_Seven Years Ago, Two Years After Danika's First "Battle"_

_**POV: Third-Person**_

_Iruka Umino lay bleeding on the ground, watching as the tiny six-year-old slammed her pink blade into the shocked ninja's back, forcing it in deeper with all her six-year-old might._

"_I…how could I lose…to a damned pipsqueak?" the shinobi gasped._

"_You let your…guard down, sir," Danika huffed, a large scar on her face and a kunai dripping blood from her right arm. "Even with my low chakra reserves at this point…you should have known better than to give me that big of an opening. You also…made the mistake of attacking my weaker arm," she said, pulling her dagger from a side pocket with her left hand. "You thought I fought with my right hand…I actually use my left. You underestimated me…big time."_

_She then leapt from the trees to Iruka-sensei as the shinobi known as Ryahu, a mid-level thief and spy for the Village Hidden in the Clouds fell from his tree, crashing to the earth, knocking himself unconscious. "Iruka-sensei…can you walk?" she asked. "I'll-_

"_DANIKA!" Ismero roared, rushing into the scene of the battle, his red hair blowing into his face and a phoenix on his hand. "Ohh my…Iruka! Faora…you know what to do!" _

_The phoenix nodded, its tears dripping on Iruka's wounds while Danika's father stared up at her. "You're committed, aren't you?" he said, knowing now that her mother wasn't going to be able to stop her. "You want this life, don't you, princess?"_

"_Daddy…Iruka matters…you think I was just going to let some thief kill him?" Danika said._

"_But you matter to me and your mama, Danika-chan!" he protested, tears welling up in his green eyes. "What if you die before I get to walk you down the aisle, or I-"_

"_Onee-chan? Onee-chan! Time to come-WHO HURT MY ONEE-CHAN!"_

_Little Tahana ran to her wounded sister's side, green eyes flaming and her blonde hair bouncing. "Tahana, it's okay – she beat him! Danika won!" Iruka said. "She's a hero!"_

_Instead of smiling and hugging her sister, Tahana pouted. "So that's why your not playing with me…you get to show off a bunch of cool tricks and make Daddy happy. How come I'm not good enough to teach cool tricks? Is that why Daddy doesn't love me as much as he does you?"_

"_Tahana-" Ismero started._

"_Don't lie, Daddy – just say what I already know!" Tahana protested. "Danika's your favorite, and I'm garbage! It happens when you take missions on my birthday and stay home for hers – Mommy sometimes goes to the hospital at the same time! It happens every time she gets a slap on the wrist, and I get screamed at and punished for the same offense! Let me guess – I'll get the same education as everyone else, and she'll go to the Anbu like Itachi!"_

…

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

"I see…sibling rivalry with ninja…not a good dynamic."

Danika grunted one more time, then sat up. "Thank you, Sephiroth," she said, sighing. It was a sigh of sadness and regret – I knew that sigh. "What makes it worse is that Dad was an excellent liar about his love – in the end, the only one he ever loved was himself – any love he had for me turned out to be fake."

I nodded. "Perhaps…knowing I'm not the only one who's seen a lot of fake love…makes this whole I'm-being-lied-to-about-my-parents thing a bit easier to swallow."

"Having other people to take care of that you're not attached to helps, too," she replied. "But…one day…we're gonna have to pay for our sins…intentional or otherwise."

"I think somebody else needs to start paying for their own sins – not us," I said. "Other people made us think we were machines, monsters even. Not humans with actual lives and feelings. If I had my way, like I said – I'd be normal. I probably would have gone on to join SOLDIER later on – but I want something new in my life. Perhaps…me joining forces with you in Devil's Gorge wasn't bad luck…perhaps Granny Soria wanted me to get hitched with you or something, one of those old arranged gypsy marriages where an eighteen-year-old boy marries a fourteen-year-old girl!"

"_Sephiroth!" _she blushed. "If Granny Soria had it her way, I'd have been my third cousin Sasuke's wife by seventeen and pregnant by eighteen! She tried to set us up in an arranged marriage – thank the gods Mom stopped it cold!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" I laughed. "On Gaia, marriage law is pretty lax – girls minimum age is fifteen years and six months with parental approval, boys is eighteen."

"It's even worse here in Hyrule," she added. "Thirteen for girls with approval of either parent or authority, sixteen for boys. Big problem here is they had a nasty civil war that just wrapped up about a decade or so ago…they're still trying to rebuild the population."

"And if Ganondorf gets his way…I don't want to go there," I said. "Come on, Danika…let's get some rest. We're gonna need that, and plenty of water."

Ohh…don't remind me," she said. "Anyway…pleasant dreams, Sephiroth-sensei."

"Pleasant dreams."

…

_The Screaming Place_

At some point in time (it was probably several hours, I can't say), I woke up in the cold blackness of the Screaming Place. As I stood up, the inky blackness took some getting used to. I was confused – I knew I could come and go from this place anytime I chose – so why had I come here without wanting to?

"_Sephiroth," _Jenova's cold, mechanical voice replied, her white yukata-clad form approaching me. "_Do you still desire me as your mother, even after all I have said to you? I did not desire to relinquish my status…but I knew you needed to have the truth."_

"M-Mother," I began, half-choking on the word. "I…I do not accept Lucretia Cresent or Professor Hojo as my parents. If they were my parents…they would have told me the truth, not ran away from me or sent me off to war first chance they got. They wouldn't have used me in an experiment before I could even give consent. I am a human being, no matter how much SHINRA says otherwise…do I not have a right to at least be accepted or loved, or treated like someone who matters…as you always have and always will? As Danika has begun to do, even if in a more limited capacity?"

Jenova smiled. "_My son…my sweet, sweet, Sephiroth. So loving, so kind, come to me. Embrace me."_

I was far too joyous to disobey. A mother…_my mother_….all mine. No one could take my mother away from me anymore. I ran to her, being careful not to hurt her with my superhuman strength as I wrapped her in my arms.

Jenova, however, sensed my hesitation. "_My son…in this space, the only thing that can have any bearing on the outside world is intercourse. I cannot be harmed by your love, or any attack. Even if you were to hurt me, it would only last a few seconds at most."_

"I know, but…," I started. "Mother…I feel like I live in a world made of…utter cardboard. Danika, for instance,…I have to be careful with her. Somedays, I'm scared she'll shatter if I scratch her, or even if I breathe on her wrong. She…I know she cares for me…but she's just as scared of me as I am of her."

"_You musn't blame her completely," _Mother replied. "_She…all her life, she trusted someone whose love was a lie. He has left deep scars all over her psyche…and the bloodstained memory of her ancient past dogs her. She recounts all the lost lives, all the pain, all the hurt of ancient times…and had no chance to heal alone. _

"_You…you, Sephiroth, must rise up and become her hero, her immortal champion. Heal her wounds, rend her inhibitions to pieces…free her of her fears, so she may worship me…give you the love and the bodily worship you desire from her…and do my will in the cosmos, as the instrument and avatar of my will…and ultimately, yours as its god-king. You shall rule this universe as a god…but only if you trust me."_

I wasn't sure about the whole god thing, but…Danika needed my help, so if this was what was required, so be it. "What do you want from me?"

"_Very good, my son," _she said. "_Now…let me give you your Kekkai Genkai, your bloodline trait. A flame that heals the wounds the naked eye cannot see…erases evil memories and manipulate minds…in its strongest form, can even rebirth ordinary people into powerful beings. Kokoro no shiroi honō…The white flames of the heart."_

…

I emerged from my training session with Jenova quite exhausted…but I knew I had both a new mission and a new purpose. Danika, meanwhile, lay peacefully on her bed, brown eyes closed long ago in sleep.

"_How can she sleep so quietly?" _I wondered, my stomach churning as I realized what I was about to begin as I performed the three hand signs, my fingers turning into ten white-hot 'scapels,' watching in horror as two shadowy black trails made down her cheeks – the ghosts of all the tears that streamed down her cheeks, the tears no one knew she cried.

I slid my left index finger down the trail coming from her left eye…and what hit my nose was an unbelievable stench…worse than rot. Desperately trying not to gag, I moved my right index finger down the other eye's trail…and just like an X-ray machine, an image appeared of what lay beneath not only her clothing, but beneath muscles, bones, blood, and sinew.

It was a picture of her soul, consciousness, and memories…a rotten, rancid-smelling corpse full of blackness, open pus-filled sores, and any other gash, laceration, wound, and injury you could imagine. It took everything I had _not _to vomit all over the floor.

The Leaf…they never truly took care of her. They did what every other screwed-up government and combat-driven organization ever did: send out their warriors, win the battle, then send the combatants back to the medical tents to physically patch them up for the next beating, mental wounds be damned. Danika…if she had allowed this to continue, she wouldn't have survived her twenties, never mind her fears of a bad back.

"Hmmm…mnn…Sephi?" she mumbled.

"Shhh…you're all right, baby girl," I cooed (what the hell had I gotten into?) "Go to sleep, let sensei take care of this."

However, as I slowly prioritized where to start on this rancid mess of a soul, a question hit me.

If I was supposed to heal others with this gift, who the hell was going to heal me?


	14. Suspicions of a Butler

Chapter Fourteen – Suspicions of a Butler

_**POV: Tahana**_

I smiled as energy flowed from Sebastian to Nerika, knowing the tide of war was about to turn. This Chunin Exam…despite all the ugliness around it…was going as well as I could have wanted it to. A broken Squad 16, with its second-most powerful ninja now gone (I was the strongest, despite all the claims it was my sister), was about to head to the final round. I was fairly certain in my own mind that Gaara, Neji and Sasuke, despite all their claims of power, were all a but a bunch of snotty emo kids – I could take them on.

"What do you seek of me, my new Mistress?" Sebastian asked.

"Rip this cocky sucker to shreds," she replied, her eyes gleaming with joy at her success at her demonic contract. Just before I could watch her destroy Tosura, a tap on my shoulder drew my eyes away.

"Tahana-chan," Kakashi said, his lone visible eye looking pretty red. "We need you down at the police station."

"What the hell for?"

"It's your father," he replied. "He…he'd been detained in the Land of Waves a week ago for running an illegal gambling ring…now, he's been extradited here for questioning in your sister's murder. He's refusing to talk."

"You want me to make him talk?" I smiled, just waiting for an excuse to rip him apart. "Gladly. Give me twenty minutes alone with him…he'll squeal like a pig!"

I left just as Nerika and Sebastian were declared winners…but just as Kakashi led me out of the arena…Sebastian appeared in front of us.

"My humblest apologies, Miss Tahana, Kakashi-"

"I prefer Tahana-chan, Sebastian…but I'll let it slide because you're new. What's on the brain, you sexy demon servant?"

Sebastian feigned blushing, checking his long black gloves. He had not changed one jot from his days in his previous world, and it showed. "I wasn't here to flirt, but anyway, Tahana-chan…Ismero is in no way connected to your sister's "death." In fact…something is very suspect about this entire situation…something that I cannot place."

Kakashi stared at the demon with his activated Sharingan eye. "You're not lying…but for the sake of the victim's mother, will you permit us to interrogate you officially?"

"I will."

…

"So…," I said, "You believe Danika isn't dead…but…just missing? And…some otherworldly force has her, or had something to do with her disappearance?"

"It's all assumption, Tahana-chan…I have no proof to say either way," Sebastian said, looking downcast. "If, in fact, Danika would have died, the spiritual world would have known it. What I _do _know is this, and it should be something…she was dealing in something very dark…and dangerous. Something…tempted her to do this…and there _was _someone who threatened her…threatened her with doing something she would not do. Something…very akin to what happened with her sensei, Itatchi."

I paused. "Come on, Sebastian…you're doing awesome…all you have to do is give me a name. Give me a name…and you become my best friend for life. Who knows…I may even give you my soul to eat."

Sebastian paused. "I would most _definitely _enjoy that…but…if I do that, the man will destroy not only you, but your entire family…perhaps even force _you _to do it, as he tried to force Danika the night before she died."

Kakashi gasped. "_No. _No…no way!"

"Yes. Danika…you may call her many things, but fratricidal maniac is not one of them. She was Itatchi's student…do you think she wouldn't have learned valuable lessons like that from him? She "died" to save you from those who would harm not only you, but every single member of your family, including Ismero. She loved you, Tahana…and it may be in the best interest of all of you to, at the very least, honor her sacrifice as long as is possible."

I was stunned…scared, even. "So…this guy gets to go free…and I have to act like Onee-chan is dead?"

"Oh, the individual will not remain in hiding forever," Sebastian said with a smirk. "He will emerge…and when he does, every other ugly secret about this man will follow. Wait for him, Tahana, train for him…perhaps let your mother help you. She…if she is allowed to train, and given the help she needs…perhaps _she _will exact a more perfect-"

"Sebastian, what the _hell _are you doing wasting all this time in here?" Nerika said. "We have work to do."

"Come here, Nerika," Kakashi said. "We have a lot to discuss."

…

_**POV: Danika**_

_It was a dream…but it was so warm – almost real._

_ I was lying in a blue bra and panties, in Sephiroth's arms…and he was holding me in his combat uniform, his eyes so full of love and tenderness, his fingers massaging my breasts beneath the fabric until they hardened. He moved his fingers down the bra to my belly, smiling as his finger touched the fringe of the panties, almost as if he wanted to slip them down, but relented. He kissed me, long and slow on the mouth, then let his tongue slip inside it again-_

"Danika?" Sephiroth asked in the real world, ripping away my bliss. A horrible stench – something like burning fish and…a charred corpse, hit me in the nose. I opened my eyes, and there he was, standing over me in apprehension, looking as though he had tried a science experiment and wasn't exactly sure what the result was.

"Uh…ughh…Sephiroth, what in the name of genjutsu were you trying to do last night?" I asked, checking to make sure all my clothes were intact.

"I was…practicing with my Kekkai Genkai," he replied. "Problem is…it smells."

I stared. "You have one? Must have something to do with either fire or garbage…hold on a sec. Wind Style: Mountain Glade Scent Jutsu!"

Sephiroth stared at me with a sad look in his eye as the scented jutsu filled the room, cleaning out the mess. "Seph, look. I'm proud of you – extremely proud – that you have a Kekkai Genkai. I was worried you didn't have one…I'm just trying to make sure we don't get ourselves hurled out into the street in the middle of the night! That's a good sixty Rupees for one bedroom – that's not cheap!"

"I know, but…I used it on you without your consent. The White Flames of the Heart Jutsu…I used it on you."

I stared at him, completely unsure of what to say. "We'll talk on our way out."

…

As Sephiroth explained to me what the White Flames of the Heart Jutsu could do and what he saw inside me…I was conflicted. Yeah…there were a lot of things wrong in my memory and psyche…things I wanted to unsee and couldn't. But…would I lose my memories completely? Would he try to turn me into something…or make me into his puppet?

"Sephiroth," I finally said as we made our way up Death Mountain to the Gorons. "I…I appreciate you wanting to take the initiative and heal my mental injuries. I admit…I feel a little better, not by much. Little annoyances...they don't bother me so much. Things that once irritated me...don't."

"I was only healing minor scars and abrasions – around the mouth, stomach, up and down the sides…"

"So _that _was why I was having a semi-erotic dream last night, eh?" I said, giving him a wicked smile. He stared, dumbfounded.

"That's a…side effect?"

"I guess…maybe it only happens when people are asleep. The only way to know for sure…is if you try using it on me again. This time, however…I want you to use it on me again…while I'm awake."

I nodded. "Yes…but that will be after we get done on Death Mountain…and, your next lesson in swordplay!"

I smiled…but I inwardly suppressed a groan.

This…this was gonna hurt.

"No worries...I've been working on your sword hilt...because today will be your first lesson in the use of Materia."

I almost choked him right then and there. He could fix my psyche and erase my bad memories all day long...but messing with my baby...oh, hell no.

"I'd quit while you're ahead, buddy...that ice you skate is thin."

Sephiroth gave me a look of understanding. " I'd kill me too for messing with Masamune, too...but believe me, I've got an excellent piece of Materia for you. You'll thank me later."


	15. The Legend of Kirby

Chapter 15 – The Legend of Kirby

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

Dodongo Cave

"_Seriously…can this day get ANY weirder?" _I asked myself as Danika and I stood before another boss chamber's door.

After leaving our hotel room that morning, the day would become what I can quickly describe as Danika and Navi's Great Collect-A-Thon. It didn't matter what it was – Pieces of Heart, enough Rupees to make a rich man sick, Gold Skulltulas, a Power Bracelet, even flowers that doubled as bombs…if she could collect it, it wound up either in her hands or her pockets. She was even willing, oddly enough, to participate in a dance-off with Darunia, head of the Gorons, for the Goron Bracelet – which pushed her growing strength to near-superhuman levels when she put it on.

"Danika?" I ultimately asked her after she acquired another Piece of Heart from a spinning Goron Statue in the center of the Goron Town.

"Yeah?"

"Are you all right? You seem…happier than normal."

"What…you don't like that, Sephiroth?"

"No…it just seems like you're a little less straight-laced…willing to have some fun in life. I like it…it makes me feel like your starting to open up, too."

She looked at the Goron Statue. "I…I know I have a lot of big-time issues…and I confess I don't exactly know what all this is for. What Jenova wants with me…or why she couldn't have picked out of the millions of women that are more beautiful, more powerful, and far more intelligent than me. I mean, as I said earlier during our sparring match, when you kicked my butt for the fifteenth time…there's gotta be someone better than a tiny red-haired punching bag wielding a katana and an extremely powerful swordsman." I said, recounting a tape of near-endless beatdowns, butt-kickings, and damn-near endless "blowouts," in which Sephiroth seemed to hold back less and less…in the last week, he had either knocked me out, run me out of chakra, or nearly crippled me in the Screaming Place (thank Jenova for its limitless healing factor), no less than twenty times, maybe thirty.

It was at this moment Navi, who had been rather quiet these last few days, spoke up. "_Don't say that, Danika! You know you and Sephiroth are what Hyrule needs…even if you two weren't Hyrule's obvious first choice. Yes, there are a lot of others that have more ability…but you care for these people, people who don't even know or care your name. You…you have done something that others cannot do – and that's sacrificing everything in the name of not only saving people you love, but total strangers."_

"Let me add to that," I added. "We've only been together for about a week to ten days…and I've already begun to see your skills come up. Three days ago, I kicked you around the Screaming Place like a rag doll. Two days ago, I thought I knocked you out cold for what must have been an hour in taijutsu practice. It may seem like I'm owning you, Danika-"

"You are. Be honest, you are."

"Okay, I am. But…you look at me with different eyes. You see me as someone you want to equal, or try to equal as much as you physically can. But you have a big problem not seeing that you teach me…and that some days, I'd rather be like you than like me."

"Now why on earth would you want that?" she asked.

"Because you got to be a normal person…you got to have fun, and be a real kid. A normal person who got to play, and have fun. As much as you wish you could be like everyone else…I wish you would start wanting to just be who you are. Push yourself…but never lose who and what you are. Be the person teaching me to laugh at myself, and see my own shortcomings."

"Now…how in the world do you come up short?"

"Don't you notice it?" I asked. "How much I don't seem to care for others? How I spend too much time and money on silly things like my hair? How harsh I can seem to be when I deal with someone far below me, someone who's only desire is not to feel like an eternal second fiddle? How vain and heartless I act?"

She nodded. "I admit…I can see some of that...but don't you_ dare _cut that hair!"

"Why?"

"Because…I see that hair as a part of you," she said. "I see it…as not only a crown of beauty…but as your sole act of rebellion against a society that holds you back. Chains you up. You are fit to be a king among your people…but they put weaklings like me over you and use you to do their dirty work. They treat you well, and give you praise…but it isn't one-ten-thousandth of a ten-thousandth what you deserve. You are their soldier…and they treat you, for the most part, like dog shit."

"Now stop it," I said. "You…you have the makings, with the right training, to be a First-Class SOLDIER for SHINRA. In fact, if you continue training as you are, you could breeze through training if given the right tools. Everything you need," I said, pointing my finger at her chest, "it's all here, locked up inside of you. All you need to do…is stop being ashamed of you. Hold your head high, soldier – DO NOT COWER IN DEFEAT!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" she yelled.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" I roared.

"SIR, YES, SIR!" she screamed as a small knot of Gorons applauded the commander. But then, almost as if without warning, she gave a yelp, collapsing to the floor. I panicked, pulling her up off the ground without thinking.

"Leaf Genesis, you're hurting me!" she yelled, forcing me to drop her.

"I…I'm sorry," I said, pulling back her sleeve to expose her shoulder. A black bruise was beginning to form – she was smart enough to call for a danger word. "You see that there – another weakness! I…I have to be careful with everything I touch…one careless move and people get bruised. Or break. You can at least be normal."

"It's fine…I was scared you'd twist it…then I'd have a broken arm," she said, getting up. "I…I just sensed something…dark…at the top of Death Mountain. Ganondorf…he's done far more than starve the Gorons and curse the Great Deku Tree. He's…caged something up at the top of Death Mountain, and only the Goron Ruby can set the captive loose. Something he fears."

I paused. "Any idea what it might be?"

"Not sure…but we can't wait much longer," she said. "Let's go."

…

_Dodongo Cave_

The whole dance through the laughably easy Dodongo Cave with Danika wasn't really all that weird…she sliced up monsters and helped me solve puzzles while I cleaned up the refuse left behind. However, as we made our way toward King Dodongo's Chamber, I stopped her.

"Danika-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to ask you…why do you enjoy collecting all kinds of random stuff?" I wondered, almost immediately biting my tongue. "I mean, Angeal was a preacher of honor, Genesis had an entire play recited front to back…but you, it seems you enjoy exploring nooks and crannies everywhere in the hopes of finding some lost or ancient treasure."

"Well…ever since I was a child, I've always been crazy about knowledge and learning," she said. "I was reading early, about three-and-a-half…and it quickly led me into training to be a shinobi. While other kids were playing on the swings…I was searching for the secrets of early Hokages and ninja masters all over the world in the Ninja Academy's Library…which led to some long, scary nights locked up in there that shall never be mentioned again."

I laughed. "Anyway," she continued. "After Itachi-sensei bailed on me, I turned to hunting treasure as a means to cope with losing him as a teacher. Yeah, he had the Sharingan and I didn't…but he felt like the big brother I never got to have. He…was tough on me, as he should have been…but with me, he was always kind. No matter what he did or had going on before that ugly night…he always made a little time for me in his overloaded schedule. Even when I found out he killed my birth mom…I really couldn't bring myself to be hateful of him. He made more of an effort to care for me than she ever did…and I couldn't take that away from him.

"So…I planned out a great big five-part expedition, all by myself, to locate five sacred texts hidden in various secret caves and temples: The First Hokage's Fire Scroll, the Second Hokage's memoirs, Madara Uchiha's Book of Scrolls, the secret scrolls of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and an ancient text called The Tale of the Rabbit Goddess."

"Did you succeed?"

"No…not really," she admitted. "I did find the last one…but it was more an old fairy tale about the Goddess Kaguya, who brought chakra to our world – no real jutsu there. I gave it to Granny Soria before she died. However…in my search for the Fire Scroll…in a volcanic cave much like this one…I met a baby star."

"A baby…star?" I asked, puzzled. "Like a phoenix? Or maybe a dragon?"

"No, actually…"

_Six Years Ago_

_**POV: Third Person**_

_The First Hokage's Fire Scroll was just a few chambers away…and the brave little swordswoman knew it. A few more chambers, mind-bending puzzles, or maybe a monster…and she'd bring the lost old scroll back to Konoha. Danika smiled – this adventure gave her what she needed, a chance to escape the chatter, the memory of all the funerals, and Sasuke's ugly glares. _

_It wasn't that she didn't grieve the Uchihas – the worst part of it all was that she couldn't do anything about it. If she could have fixed what had been done, she would have been on it the minute the danger had passed. _

_She loved the Uchihas – heck, her mother had had a good chunk of them over for cookies, and she and Sasuke's mother had all but been on each other's speed dials. When Hanashida's family members died, Sasuke's mom (and sometimes, Fugakyu) was always the first one over, trying to talk down the angry Hanashida as she struggled to grieve yet again, or prepare the next funeral dinner. When Sasuke needed a babysitter, Hanashida was the first phone call – Sasuke even believed she was his aunt!_

_But now, all that was dead…and Danika couldn't fix it. She couldn't fix her mom's crying jags, her dad's sad silence. She was powerless to change all the pain…and she hated it. With the search for the scroll, at least she could walk away from it all…if only for a short time._

"_Wail! Wail!" a tiny voice said, stopping Danika cold. How in the world did a baby (at least, what sounded like a baby) get in such a hot, nasty, unlivable place? Knowing she had to help the little guy, she slipped through the stone door in front of her…and got a pair of surprises._

_The supposed "baby"…was a small pink ball with a pair of short, stubby arms and red shoes, armed with a giant hammer as he faced down a giant, leathery lizard armed with a spine full of spikes. Drawing her sword, Danika leapt up, attempting to slice off the creature's head, but the monster's skin was far too thick for her blade to cut. It roared at her, slamming its head into her chest and knocking her aside._

"_Wail!" the baby cried, taking advantage of the opportunity to leap, smashing its giant hammer down on the creature's pea-sized head. Taking a moment to gather herself together, Danika scrambled to the side, looking around for something that could penetrate the creature's skin. The hammer worked, but it was only stunning the beast, barely doing any real damage. The only thing she could see that would possibly hurt it…were gigantic, lava-filled stalactites on the ceiling._

_It was an idea…but would it work? Shaking her head, she jumped, slicing a trio of the massive earth formations down from the ceiling, sending them crashing to the ground and nearly puncturing the beast. The little pink ball stared at her in confusion…but then, he opened his mouth, sucking all three of the earth formations into his massive maw._

"_No, buddy, no, no, don't-" Danika said as she fell…but then…a crown of lava-filled rocks donned his head as the pink ball turned red. The little pink ball…had become a tiny King of Lava…and he was ready to fight._

_Not wasting a second, the little ball spewed a hot trail of lava from its mouth, causing the spike-covered monster to rear back and expose a weakness: a flabby pink underside that had not been encased in armor. Seizing this newfound chance, Danika called on her cherry blossoms while Kirby raised his tiny hands, causing a shower of stalactites crashing to the ground to puncture the creature's tough hide._

"_Sakura Art: Sword Charge!" she cried, calling her chakra into her blade, which sharpened it to the point she could cut a diamond if she wanted. Then, a big smile on her face, she slammed the blade into the monster's belly…the coup de grace. _

_Lava poured out of the creature, forcing both shinobi and puffball to race across the room to the waiting door on the other side. "Thanks, buddy!" she said, hugging the tiny creature as he reverted to normal. "Who are you?"_

"_He is Kirby, a baby star," a strange voice said. Danika turned…to see a man she had only previously seen in her history books: a black-haired ghost in orange armor. "He was sent here to find the Fire Scroll I stored in this cave, and save the inhabitants of Dream Land from eternal winter. I did not expect you to come here, young Leaf shinobi…but you have become a hero."_

_Danika blushed in total embarrassment. "Lord Hokage…I actually am not yet a shinobi. I'm Danika Nasakura, a Leaf Academy student. I came here to relieve myself of my grief, and let go of a terrible loss."_

_He nodded. "You are far more than that now…you are a young hero. One day…many worlds shall come to depend on you…far more than they did the Uchiha Clan. Your grandmother, Soria…in her youth…she prophesied your coming. Dark days are ahead for you…but one day, you shall unlock the heart of a warrior-king, a being that is not even of this world. You shall reveal dark truths, and bring peace not only to this world, but many others. If you will believe in yourself, and trust in your friends…there is no doubt you shall succeed."_

_Danika looked at him sheepishly. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."_

_He smiled. "You are welcome. Since little Kirby must take the Fire Scroll with him…I shall impart a secret jutsu to you…one you must not show anyone else you have. It is dangerous…and if given to the Leaf Village, another war shall surely begin. It is the ultimate masterwork of the flames…even akin to your father's ancient phoenix. If the Nasakura knew I had it, they would have killed me…"_

…

_**POV: Danika**_

__**"**So…what happened to the little guy?" Sephiroth asked me, putting his hand on my shoulder with a knowing look.

"He had to leave me shortly thereafter," I said. "I gave him a hug, and he took off on a star. He seemed like a good guy…simple, cute, not much to him…but devoted to whatever he had on his little mind and heart. I did ask him to come back someday…and he promised me he would with a nod of his head. I didn't know if he really knew me or not…but I know his heart was in the right spot, so I was willing to part with the treasure if it got him what he needed."

Sephiroth nodded. "A little fellow like that…a little hero, let me rephrase…he may be small, but he's a hero everyone can count on. He wasn't afraid to depend on some help…maybe the Hokage wanted you to learn to depend on someone else."

I nodded. "I know…my biggest problem is, I've tried to depend on a lot of the wrong people. I've seen so many turn traitor, turn their backs on me, or prove to be ineffective at the worst possible times, and I've had to pick up the slack. My sister…she used to tell everyone she was stronger than me – no doubt, she still does – but when it mattered most, she always seemed to get in over her head."

"She's young…but remember, you did too with this Danzo, whoever he is."

I nodded. "I knew I couldn't take him and live to tell it. He was not only too strong…he was a manipulator of minds. He had all the chess pieces on his side…the only thing I could do was manipulate my village into thinking a false situation took place. All I can hope now…is that the manipulation holds."

Sephiroth nodded. "You have to basically depend on the hope that everyone around you stays an idiot."

I nodded. "Okay…let's take down the big kahuna of the Dodongos. If what I've been seeing is any indication…then he probably either is immune to bombs, or he hates them. What do you suspect, Seph?"

"No idea, Dani," he admitted. "Let's let our monster friend lead the dance…but, just in case, let me switch Materia with you. I have a Blizzaga…it'll probably be more helpful than Cure right this second."

"Okay."

Holding the Boss Key once again…I opened the door, and we entered. Once again, steel bars sealed the bars behind us. "Gee…Ganondorf really doesn't want anybody getting-"

"Sephiroth, WATCH OUT!"

It was all I could do to get Sephiroth out of the way as King Dodongo charged us. Acting almost on instinct, I wrapped a paper bomb around one of my two remaining kunai, hurling it straight into the King's roaring maw, sticking right into the side of his mouth. The king closed his mouth…and the explosion was right on target, forcing him onto his back legs.

"Bombs away, then?" Sephiroth asked.

"The King is hungry, my lord – let us not deny him his feast!" I replied. Sephiroth, in response, ran to another Bomb Flower, waiting patiently for the monster to come charging his way. Even in this moment, I had really grown to admire Sephiroth the man – and Sephiroth the warrior. He was smug, yes, borderline arrogant – but he could back his shit up. He never bragged, if you could call it that – he always backed his talk with action. He knew when to push and when to be patient. He knew when to speak and when to stand silent.

But…deep down, he also reminded me of a scared little boy. He was the baby that had never suckled its mother's breast…a child that had never known real love. I, much unlike him, had once savored that luxury…and now, I was seeing what someone lived without love could look like.

"_How could I be so blind to that, so selfish?" _ I thought as Sephiroth's explosive landed in the thing's maw. The monster reared backward, and Sephiroth smiled – one or two more shots like that, and this monster was toast. I leapt across the room, trying to predict the next shot…but once again, Sephiroth felt like he had to show off. With a flap, he unleashed a single black wing, flying toward me.

"You can fly?"

"Gravity manipulation, but yes, sensei," Sephiroth said. "Come, look at what I can do…thanks to your amazing chakra control and elemental teachings," I shook my head and smiled as he prepared a trio of hand signs. "Fire Style: Explosive Kunai Jutsu!" he called, summoning a trio of large kunai as the beast repeated his strategy. As the creature charged, Sephiroth waved his hand, and the weapons raced into the creatures mouth…the deathblow.

As the creature collapsed. "Thank you, my dear sensei," he said, smiling as the Heart Container emerged, gesturing me toward it. "Take it – my mother awaits."

"And another dose of those lovely white flames." I smiled, giving him a cheeky grin. I walked up and took the Heart Container…but this time, Jenova did not appear. Instead, I heard a dark voice.

"_My dear servant…my loving son…, even now, Ganondorf plots from the shadows. In three weeks from this day, he is plotting a strike against Hyrule…one that shall kill the king, and plunge Hyrule into darkness. He has imprisoned three other heroes, heroes I have not chosen. Free them…the five of you are the last true hope of Hyrule."_

I turned to Sephiroth. "You hear that, sensei?"

He gave me an ugly look. "This guy is hell-bent on victory…and we're running out of time. Come on…let's get the Goron Ruby and warn Darunia."

I stepped toward the portal, but Sephiroth paused. "Sensei, you okay?"

"I…I wanted to tell you…that our relationship is changing…but I don't think now is the time."

"Okay…we'll talk privately. Probably better anyway."

…

_Death Mountain_

With the Goron Ruby finally in hand, Sephiroth and I made our way up Death Mountain, the sinking of the sun setting off feelings of dread in both our hearts.

"He's been planning this…hasn't he?" I asked, almost absentmindedly. "I mean…he really wants victory. Killing Link…"

"Imprisoning other heroes…cursing the Great Deku Tree…lying to the king…starving the Gorons and Jenova-only-knows-what-else with the Zoras…yeah, this guy wants to seize Hyrule and make it his personal trash bin…and he's probably using us as pawns, possibly Zelda, too." Sephiroth said as we made our way to the summit.

"So…what do you think we do?"

"We kick that needy, cowardly excuse of a dark sorcerer square in the dick, pardon my crude tongue," Sephiroth said, anger visible in his voice. "He wants power? He wants to control an entire world? Well, he's going to have to come across my cold, dead body to get it!"

"And I would want nothing more…than to lie next to you in death if he does." I replied.

Sephiroth paused for a second. "You mean that?"

"As both a fellow warrior and a human being, yes. I betrayed my people when they needed me…it is the death I deserve, should death be my penalty. You were the man I fought alongside…being trampled with you would be the only fitting end for me."

He stared at me. "Danika…thank you. I think you're the only person who's ever told me that. Angeal…he might be your perfect match. He talks all the time about honor."

I laughed….but that laugh died in my throat as I saw a massive black crystal growth at the lava-filled peak. "There it is!" I said, leaping up to the crystal. It was so black I couldn't see what was inside…but I had a sinking feeling there was a reason Ganondorf imprisoned this area's hero here.

"You have the Ruby?"

"Yeah…that's why I gave you the Kokiri Emerald. If we got separated, Ganondorf wouldn't get both," I said, seeing a keyhole for the Ruby at the bottom of the crystal. "Step back, Seph…this could get messy."

He obliged, and I slid it in. A bright light encapsulated the formation. What I saw next… nearly made me cry.

"Oh, my God!" I said as the captive was revealed. "_Kirby! The bastard got Kirby!"_

As the light faded, the tiny pink puff opened his blue eyes. "W-Wail?" he said, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost as I retrieved the Ruby, tears in my eyes.

"Kirby…do you remember me? D-Danika?"

For a minute, he looked at me, still confused…but then, a big smile came across his face, and he gave me a hug. "Wail! Wail!"

"He says he does, Danika! He missed you, too…and he's starving!"

I stared at Sephiroth.

"How in the _hell…_do you know what he said?"


	16. Breaking the Deal

Chapter 16 – Breaking the Deal

_**POV: Hanashida**_

I stood in Iruka's classroom, beads of sweat coming down my face as I stood in front of a bunch of Leaf Academy students. Some forty-seven years prior, I had stood in this same room, if memory served me right, staring into the faces of twenty-six other snickering, pointing students. The faces of those students were blurry fogs of faded memory, but I remembered their words. Those words…they came back to me clear as day now, almost as if they were being spoken again.

"_How'd that fat girl get in here?" _one of them snickered. "_She must have cheated on her entrance exam!"_

_ "I heard she's completely deaf…how does she think she's going to make it in the Academy?"_

_ "She'll never make it – she can't even tell the difference between a kunai and a shuriken, and she talks like she's chewing on rocks. She probably can't hear us!" _another laughed.

"_Oh, man…I am gonna have so much fun messing her up!'_

But now, all the kids looked at me, almost bewildered. I knew Konohamaru, the Hokage's grandkid – I had babysat him a few times, same as Sakon and Udon. I wanted to speak to them, tell them things were gonna be okay…but my hatred of public speaking was getting the better of me yet again.

Then, Iruka walked in, all the students participating in the usual morning greeting. The sweat pouring down my face was unbelievable…how was I supposed to _not _look like a total idiot? They must have been staring at my grey hair, face full of wrinkles, the ugly burn scar from an incident with a very hot oven some twenty years ago.

However, Iruka-sensei just smiled. "Good morning, students. Here with me this morning is a somewhat new student. Forty-seven years ago, this woman entered the Ninja Academy with big, big dreams-"

"No, not necessarily, sensei, " I countered, almost cursing my cutting him off. "Fifty-five years ago, my daddy Teroka Hyana, formerly of the Land of Earth, where my ancestors are buried, wanted me and all his kids to get a good education. he, unlike many of his children and siblings, was denied the chance to be a shinobi because he needed to help feed his family after his daddy died in a mining accident. He was the youngest one, the baby…and with his five older brothers fifteen to twenty years older than him, two of them having their own families by then, it was just him and his tired mama.

"He had to work long, dirty days in a mine as a kid and help grow his own food - he didn't get the chance to be a shinobi, or even learn to read and write until he was twenty. His own wife had to be his teacher – no one else would help him learn. It took him years – literal years - to stop being humiliated for being a "dumb coal miner", so he swore that he would give his kids better lives than the one he had, come hell or high water. So, at twenty-two, he took every last penny he had, took a chance, and moved here, living in the back of town. He raised seven young'uns of his very own – and all but one of them went on to be a shinobi."

Iruka stared at me. "Hanashida…why didn't we know that? We…we could have helped him, got him some money and help. If he wanted-"

"Daddy wouldn't have asked for your help – he wouldn't have begged for or asked for nothin' he couldn't get himself. He'd struggled just to get help reading and writing – he learned to not lean on others. His chronic asthma and his chewing tobacco habit didn't help nothing either. He died in the Nine-Tailed Fox incident, crushed in a rockfall and dying from a severe asthma attack before he could be saved," I said. "Anyway…I was that student, the dropout. My daddy…he knew why I left, and he never blamed me for leaving…but I knew he thought I could have done more with my life. Even as his kids perished in all the wars, slowly ripping his heart to shreds…I knew he believed I could do it."

The class was quiet. "I…you know what happened to me. I got married, raised two lovely little babies…Danika and Tahana. It wasn't a fairy tale, and I wasn't no princess…but I had what I wanted in life. I babysat, baked cookies and treats…some of you kids know. But then…my Prince Charming ended up being nothing more than a frog in disguise…and somebody…"

The tears stung my eyes, and Iruka brought a tissue box. "I…I'm sorry…I still can't talk about it, sensei," I said. "It hurts too much."

Iruka nodded. "As you know…Danika Nasakura died in her own bed a week ago, killed before the Chunin Exams. Hanashida…despite everyone telling her not to…has chosen to honor her daughter by choosing to become a shinobi one more time."

I nodded. "All I want…is to be a shinobi, not only for me…but for my baby. As you can tell, I know I don't talk well…mostly because I don't hear well…and I am very heavy. I am not asking for any special or differential treatment…I just want to be respected, just like everyone else. Treat me with the same respect you would any other."

Everyone smiled, some of them through tears, as the rose to their seats and bowed. "We will, Mama Hanashida!"

I stared at everyone, than back at Iruka, who smiled. "Mama…Hanashida?"

"You may not have been a shinobi, Hyana, but…you've been a mother to a lot of kids." Iruka said. "You always put the kids first…I think this is less about you being a shinobi…and more about you putting you first."

_**POV: Itatchi**_

_Unknown Location_

I knew this place…and that made me want to vomit.

I knew what I had come to do…and while part of me feared that this would only lead to disaster, a selfish move born strictly out of ego…I needed to cleanse my own conscience more than anything.

Danika…my little red-haired firebrand with a cute crooked smile…I had failed her so badly it could have been considered neglect. Death by Sasuke, even with all his vengeance, would not be a fit punishment for me…not for this crime. She was my student…would have walked through Hell for me, and nearly died on one instance for my name prior to her death…which was essentially her dying to save me, in a sense – even though I knew it was in vain. I _knew, _deep in the pits of my gut, who had instigated this nonsense…and while I had made provision to make sure Sasuke would be protected…I had not for Danika.

And while that failure may have proven to one day be my downfall…I no longer cared. In this act, this day, I would honor her memory, and do what I should have done some six years ago. Standing at the door of a barrier-covered building, I rapped at the door…listening for a man I despised even more than Ismero Nasakura. I would soon deal with the imprisoned fool, but for now…

Danzo Shimura opened the door, no doubt surprised and displeased with my countenance. "Itatchi…why have you come?"

"You should know…the sakura weep bloody tears at your foolishness, for their young queen was slain for your greed."

"You made a promise for your brother, not that flea-bitten dog of a gypsy girl!" Danzo roared. "Do you wish to see it broken?"

"In my mind, it already _has _been broken, Danzo," I replied. "I expected that you would have considered showing the same kindness to my former student as you did my brother. She was weakened, heartbroken…and although none of us knew it…a hidden Uchiha. You forced me to strip her of her mother and family…wicked as she was…and then you stripped her of her honor. In a time when you could have comforted her, or shown her a shred of kindness…you no doubt put the same offer before her that you did me, did you not?"

"The dog knew too much!"

I pulled a kunai, quickly losing my temper. "You call that woman a dog one more time and more than secret knowledge will be stripped from you. I shouldn't even be extending…in fact, I won't. Danika…you knew she was heartbroken, and you refused to show her even the slightest bit of kindness. _All you needed to do…_was show her kindness…perhaps make her your underling…and she would have moved the world just to make you smile."

"And you know this how?"

"She did it for me…three times," I replied. "Starting today…you will begin to pay the price for the blood you shed that night. I hold you directly responsible for Danika's depression, the destruction of her life, and her death…and I will make sure the whole world knows it, even if I must die in the process."

"No…no…damn-"

Before he could finish…I was gone.

…

_**POV: Third Person**_

_Future site of Sephiroth's Mausoleum _

"So this is it, huh?" Angeal asked Genesis as they walked around the circular grounds that would one day be marked with a massive white marble obelisk, some three days after Sephiroth had been apparently been "killed in action by Cerberus" and "received assistance from lost gypsy girl, name unknown." "Sephiroth gets a shiny white obelisk, the girl gets a small plaque outside, and we destroy an entire civilization's memories?"

"They could have been worse and chosen not to honor him – or the girl - at all," Genesis answered. Both men had been hit hard by the passing – Genesis had stopped quoting Loveless and was considering quitting SHINRA completely, while Angeal hadn't mentioned Sephiroth's name in conversation up until now. "At least they gave the young woman a name – Delilah Nasakura."

"They named her?"

"SHINRA wanted to remember the girl and give her honor – in a sense, divorce her from the sordid history of the gypsies and make her kosher." Genesis replied. "Destroying the gypsies and not doing so would make the girl look bad otherwise – make her look responsible for something she isn't responsible for. They can't really do anything else for her – she has no family that can be documented, and she _is _still a child, so they are essentially doing for her what they do for unidentified children that are found murdered – make sure she is still given her fair share for helping Sephiroth. I hear the locals are preparing a small grave for her near one of the fountains in the city."

Angeal sighed. "This…it all seems like a massive cop-out," he said. "They just gave up on Sephiroth! Everything he's done for SHINRA-"

"There's nothing that can be done, Angeal, as much as I hate it," Genesis replied, putting his hand on the black-haired man's shoulder. "Sephiroth and Delilah are dead…the only solace we have in their deaths is that they died fighting for each other…for SHINRA…and for us all."


	17. Talim's Tale

Chapter 17: Talim's Tale

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

_Kokiri Forest/Lost Woods_

_Twenty Days to Invasion_

"Danika, can you sense it?" I asked as we headed back into the Kokiri Forest, desperately hurrying to find the second of the three trapped heroes, Kirby floating in the air above our heads like a tiny pink balloon. What had once been a nearly pastoral quest to track down the three stones had now lost all of its peace and calm, almost in a matter of minutes. We were now three heroes, soon to hopefully be four, facing off against an enemy that held almost all the chess pieces.

"Yeah. It seems like it may go deeper into the Kokiri Forest," Danika replied, leaping up into the trees, I struggling to follow. Despite my week to ten days of ninja training, I still struggled to control my chakra…a seemingly-endless ocean of energy that seemed to want to swallow me whole every time I activated it. "Kirby, I sure am glad you chose to come along."

"Wail, wail, wail!"

"He said there was really no choice for him…his friend was with him when Ganondorf attacked them in the Lost Woods."

"Okay…tell me how the heck you can talk to him.'

"It's only a guess…but as a child, the scientists wanted to see if I could talk to the Planet," I said. "I never could…but it seems I can talk to him."

She nodded. "So…the Lost Woods is where this one is. Come on, Kirby…can you lead us?"

Kirby smiled though his closed mouth and puffed-up cheeks full of air, then a puff of wind carried him above the treetops. Danika, master of tree-surfing, followed him, almost seeming to forget her struggling compatriot below.

"Sephiroth, you can do this – I've seen you do it!" she called. "What's wrong?"

"My chakra…I feel like I have too much of it, and no control over it."

She came down from her perch, looking at me in concern. "Sephiroth…calm down," she said. "Yes, chakra _is _different than Mako – it's natural to the human body, so that means someone infused with Mako is going to end up having more power than what someone would with just natural chakra. But…this is gonna be like riding a bike. It's gonna be scary, but you're almost there. You _can _do this, Sephiroth. Chakra is only your energy…_you _are its master. Are you going to control it, or will it control you? Take a deep breath…concentrate…."

"You do this before?"

"Yeah…I had to help my mom teach my sister chakra control as a kid – my dad called her too impatient. Compared to her, training you is easy…you're like trying to train someone who wants to be a better cook compared to training someone how to not freeze everyone and their mother…when you barely know how to train yourself."

I nodded. "Thank you, sensei."

"The same to you, sensei. Just relax…you have this in you, I know it!"

I smiled, focusing again. But this time…I didn't just focus on leaping through the trees. I focused on Danika…and everything she had taught me. Despite feeling like my punching bag, Danika proved a master of chakra control, concentration, and overall relaxation. While it wasn't exactly clear to me who she was behind and who she surpassed, I could tell she was devoted to her craft…this was what she lived for for eight long years, just as I had done in SHINRA. She had given it her all, no matter what – which made their series of betrayals sting even more. As I finally caught up to my compatriots, a fear began to get to me.

Was it possible…that Danika was trapped in her past, so completely ashamed of her leave-taking that it was holding her back…and could prove disastrous if I didn't do something? If I did do something-

"Sephiroth, down here!" Danika yelled, stopping me before I got lost. Leaping from the trees, I stepped down to see another giant black crystal.

"You have the Emerald?"

"Already on it, Seph," she replied…and the crystal became swallowed in a flash of light…revealing a bronze-skinned woman armed with a pair of tonfas. She wore garments neither of us could place…and she stared at the trio of us like we were aliens.

"Little star?" she asked, completely confused. "You…brought these people to save me from the darkness of this land?"

Kirby nodded. "Thank you!" she said, wrapping him in a hug. "I knew I could believe in you, little star! But…where is Navi?"

"_Right here, Talim!" _Navi cried, zipping around Danika's head. "_Danika and Sephiroth…they came to rescue you!"_

She stared at us again, a look of sorrow on her face. "So…so it is true, then," Talim replied. "Demise…he is preparing to destroy this world for good. I have to hurry."

"Demise?" Danika asked.

I stepped forward. "Slow down, everyone. We need to sit down and start putting the pieces of this puzzle together…things have gotten confusing, and you, Talim, need to eat."

…

"So, let me get this straight," Danika finally said, handing Talim a roasted fish. "A long time ago, Din, Fayore, and Naryu had a little step-sister named Jenova…the daughter of the goddess Hylia and a mortal man – your ancient ancestor, Talim - from the planet called Earth. Jenova wanted to help her three sisters create the world of Hyrule, but they refused, as she was "corrupted" by human blood and would only create monsters."

Talim nodded. "She once considered Demise, the god of destruction, as her friend…and she fell in love with him. He promised her that he would take over the world…and allow her to rule the world as a true goddess. But one day, while they were making love, Jenova's three older sisters discovered their love and the plan," she said. "Disgusted, they turned Jenova into a silver-skinned, tentacled monster…expelling her from Hyrule forever. However, she swore that one day she would create a hero that would put them all to shame…and they would have no choice but to restore her, according to what Fayore told me.

"Demise was furious, which ultimately culminated in his cursing of Hylia's descendants, the descendants of the heroes who defeated him…and promising to one day destroy the world entirely for its crime against Jenova. The golden goddesses attempted to call on a boy named Link…but when they saw the current Ganondorf had infected him with a deadly disease…they summoned me to the Kokiri Forest to save him," Talim sighed. "As soon as I got there…I met up with Kirby and Navi…and Ganondorf attacked me when he cursed the Great Deku Tree. He said…that he sought not only the stones, but the vessel of Jenova."

"I can take it from there," I said. "At some point, Jenova crashed onto my planet of Gaia…causing people to be turned into monsters, causing the Cetra to go extinct…so on and so forth. She was sealed away for two thousand years by the humans…and then was excavated by SHINRA, the company I used to work for. They…implanted her cells inside of me when I was a fetus, before I could give any consent, hoping to create a Cetra."

"At which point they created the best super-soldier ever known." Danika replied.

"Are you…married?" Talim wondered.

We, once again, stared at each other. "No…no, we're not…but I think Danika here is in love with me," I replied. Danika blushed, a look of embarrassment crossing her face. "You haven't been subtle about it…you can at least be honest with me, unlike half of all the other people you've ever dealt with."

"Okay…fine," she said. "Despite all my efforts _not _to be like the squealing schoolgirls I have dealt with in my life…I do love you, Sephiroth. I'm sorry I'm attracted to extremely gorgeous men that don't look pasty and actually act like they have a brain."

"Why be sorry about what you feel? You have a right to your feelings toward me, Danika – express them!"

"Not necessarily – not as a shinobi."

"Shinobi?" Talim asked. "Like…Taki, the great ninja?"

"I wouldn't know that individual, but yes, I am a ninja. A joke of a ninja, but a ninja," she replied. "As shinobi, we are expected to act emotionlessly – devote ourselves to the mission above all else. In short, we are supposed to be nothing but tools, usable and disposable at a whim."

"Her village…she discovered a dirty secret of theirs, something so bad they were willing to kill not only her reputation, but force her to kill her entire family," I said, trying to spare Danika from recounting the whole ugly story. "She faked her death and became the vessel of Jenova in exchange for an escape route.

Danika looked at me, "Thank you for not making me have to retell all that crap."

"Any time, Danika," I said, gently leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I love you too, you know."

Her face turned red. "We've only known each other…what? Ten days now?"

"Something like that…but we've had each other's backs the whole time. Up until yesterday…except for Navi…we're pretty much all we've got, Danika. You're the first person who's made an attempt to be honest with me about who I am…and who they were. Everyone I've ever been close to…you know."

Talim looked at us, her expression either happy or wondering what was going on. "I…I'm sorry about what has happened, and that I don't understand where you two have come from, but we need to retrieve-"

"The Stones?" Danika asked "No worries - we have two of them…we just wanted to make sure we rescued you before we headed to the Kingdom of the Zoras."

"Oh…wonderful," Talim said. "We haven't-"

"We know – we have less than twenty days before Ganon invades Hyrule to seize the Triforce."

"Twenty days!" Talim cried. "That means…oh, no…I've been in there three weeks…and Link…" Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "That poor child…"

Danika came to comfort her. "He…he died in his bed…just like my grandmother did when she got pancreatic cancer. Even if you had tried to heal him…you may have been able to get him to remission, but it wouldn't have gotten him to fighting condition. Ganondorf would have made him into hash."

"That…that may be true," Talim said. "But…you need to be worried about you now, Danika. Demise…he's possessing Ganondorf…and he's looking to get his hands on Jenova."

"He will do no such thing, Priestess of Winds," Jenova said loudly, using Danika's voice as her mouthpiece. "I no longer desire Demise. Yes, he once loved me…but as soon as I was changed, he could not stand the sight of me. He punished my mother and step-sisters for their evil…but he did nothing for me. He did not save me when I was trapped within the Northern Crater…when the scientists harvested cells from my corpse in Niebelheim. He does not love me anymore…if he did, he and his vessels would have long ago left Hyrule."

With that, Danika collapsed to the ground, gasping. Grabbing a small pouch of water, I went over to her. "No, Seph…I think I'm gonna…urgh!" In response, Kirby came over, sucking Danika's vomit into his giant mouth.

"Little Star, no!"

"His name is Kirby, Talim," I said. "Are you not able to understand him?"

She looked at me, stunned. "I…didn't know. All I know is that he was born from the stars…Kirby, what are you-"

Before either of us could react, Kirby suddenly vomited up what looked like a small armory of ninja weapons – shuriken large and small, a few scrolls, senbon needles, kunai knives…anything a shinobi could want.

"K-Kirby?" Danika said, picking out an orange scroll. "Did you…save this…for me?"

"Wail, wail, wail-wail."

"He said he wanted to thank you for helping him, Danika…and he spent the years after he left you tracking down and swallowing things he thought you would like from his travels as a thank-you," I said. "He even saved the Fire Scroll

Danika managed a weak smile. "Kirby…you are the freaking best!"

…

POV: Danika

Later that night, Hyrule Castle Town Inn

Thanks to Sephiroth, we just barely managed to get to the safety of town before the gates closed – and get the last pair of rooms. As I sponged off the cares of another long day, slipping into a gray nightgown, I wondered to myself – was I in love with Sephiroth, or was this a fiery relationship born out of mutual anger, regrets, pain, and suffering between two people with no real identities?

I could easily admit that I felt deeply toward him – beyond his impeccable physical features, he was a gentle, caring soul, which he carefully hid behind confidence, charisma, and impeccable manners. Me? I was a closeted recluse of a teenager so devoted to my learning and teaching that I put myself last - with an inexplicable case of dentophobia that left my teeth in crossbite. I used to wear glasses, but once I got the Sharingan, my eyes somehow returned to normal vision. Even with what little I did have going for me…Sephiroth deserved better than me, ten thousand times better.

Suddenly, Sephiroth came into the room. "You okay?" he asked. "It's getting late – Talim wants to start out for Lake Hylia by dawn."

"Sephiroth…what do you see in me…that makes you love me?" I asked. "I'm…I'm too young to be in love with a seventeen-year-old boy…but when I look at you-"

"You dream of forever with me, don't you?" he said. "I see it in your eyes…you want to settle down with me, hang up the fighting career…have some babies, make love to me…"

I was stunned. "How-"

"You're like a little book…so easy to read," he smiled. "Actually…I have the same dreams as you. I see you…as my true mother's gift to me. Jenova created you...just for me to love and cherish. Don't bother yourself with your age, or your imperfections…those are rules inferior dullards came up with to deny you what you deserve. Just…give in to your heart. Give in to me…and you won't regret it."

I paused. "O-Okay…but no getting pregnant…not yet."

He nodded. "Of course."


	18. Soren's Revenge

Chapter 18: Soren's Revenge

_**Song in this Chapter: Non C'e Piu by Celtic Woman (I do not own)**_

_**POV: Talim**_

_Lake Hylia/Jabu-Jabu's Belly_

_Nineteen Days Before Invasion_

As a fifteen-year-old Flipino girl, the "Priestess of Winds" in my culture, I've already had a pretty…odd…life, even for someone in my position. I had been chasing down the "Evil Seed" in the last four or five months, which had led to me guiding the spirits of the ancient "Hero King" and his son on to the afterlife about three months ago. With the corrupting influences of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur gone, I returned to my village, hoping to return to my ordinary life as my village's priestess, guiding the next generation.

But…the wind would have other ideas for my life. One night, a few days after returning home, I was led by the wind to a forsaken cave on the edge of my village, a place once revered for containing an "oracle." It had been said that the oracle was an otherworldly goddess, one who once bestowed courage on ancient warriors that sought her out for council in battle. One day, the oracle simply disappeared…many of the elders said the goddess departed for the heavens.

However…what I saw that night…would prove the elders wrong. I entered the cave…to see a large gold triangle comprised of three smaller ones painted on the wall. Unsure of what it was I saw, I turned to try and walk away, fearful I would disturb and anger the spirits. However, just as I did, a green light filled the cave, and a voice echoed off the walls.

"_Talim, do not turn away!" _a woman's voice cried. Without thinking, I obeyed…to see a woman made of gold enswathed in the green light. "_I am Fayore, one of the three Golden Goddesses of Hyrule…and you must come with me without delay!"_

I stared for a minute, tempted to clutch the large medallion around my neck. My cropped green top and shorts flapped mercilessly in her winds. "Hy…rule? Is that the world of the warrior dressed in green, Link?"

"_Yes_. _In truth, Link is a spirit…the immortal spirit I birthed to defeat evil spirits, the one to whom the Triforce of Courage is bestowed. However…Ganondorf…the reincarnation of the evil god, Demise…he has attained new evil. He has merged his soul with that of Demise's…with the intent of turning Hyrule into a chaotic wasteland…and giving new life to my fallen stepsister, his wicked queen…Jenova…who perished millennia ago. Already, he has poisoned Link, with an evil darkness…and he is preparing to attack Hyrule unopposed. There is none who can stop him now…none but you. Come with me to Hyrule…help me save the hero I have chosen. Save him…before the envoys of Jenova come."_

My heart broke for Link. I knew that Hyrule's matter was not of my world…but I could feel Fayore's winds screaming in agony. I could not, as Priestess of Winds, stand silent as the winds of Hyrule screamed in this way. I reached out my hand…and went with Fayore to Hyrule.

Unfortunately…I landed in the Kokiri Forest, joining Kirby…and almost immediately, was attacked by Ganondorf as he cursed the Great Deku Tree. I remember his dark, leering face…those piercing, evil eyes…as I stood next to the pink ball I had once called Little Star.

"_You are too late, Priestess…you shall __never__ save that pathetic child now!_" Ganondorf bellowed at me as he encased us in Dark Magic.

From then on…I was surrounded, trapped inside an evil cocoon of horror, despair and fear for three long weeks, desperately clinging to my connection with nature to save me from the darkness, and somehow escape my awful prison…until the solider known as Sephiroth and his shinobi compatriot Danika freed me with the Kokiri Emerald.

However, now that we were on the road to Lake Hylia, a deep sense of dread ate at my stomach. I had been warned of the "envoys of Jenova," a "woman" that, like it or not, was a long-lost cousin of mine. If Jenova and her envoys were supposed to be evil…then why were we somehow fighting on the same side?

I tried my best to ignore my deep misgivings about the pair…but as we made Lake Hylia before noon that day, I couldn't hold back my anxieties…and Sephiroth caught it. "What troubles you, Talim-chan?"

"Just call me Talim, please," I said. "I…I was told that you two may be envoys of Jenova."

"Well, in a sense, Danika and I are," Sephiroth replied. "Jenova is my adoptive mother via twisted science experiment, and Danika is Jenova's vessel…she is, in short, being possessed by her."

"I…when I accepted this mission from Fayore, I was told Jenova was supposed to be on the side of Ganondorf and Demise. Why…why are you two fighting against them?"

Danika, finally realizing a conversation was going on, turned back toward us, holding a sleeping Kirby. "Well, you heard Jenova…she no longer loves Demise. Demise abandoned her for superficial reasons for two millennia…that amount of time could make any heart turn cold. As for me…I see those two as nothing more than selfish pigs…people like Danzo, which is the reason why I am here."

"As I'm sure you know, Talim, people can change…even someone like Mother," Sephiroth said, a look of deep admiration in his eyes. "If Demise hurt Mother…that automatically makes Demise my enemy."

"That is an ugly, ugly place to be…trust me, forty seven and-a-half sessions in the Screaming Place getting my butt kicked fifty ways to Sunday is testimony enough," Danika admitted. "Luckiest I ever got was getting to use that Meteor materia…and the weasel _still _kicked my butt!"

"The Screaming Place?"

"It's what we call that training ground we showed you last night, Talim," she replied. "The alternate universe where time has no place. While I must say you have excellent skill with your tonfas…you'll have a lot of training to do if you want to last five minutes against Ganondorf."

"Ahem…Danika-sensei?"

"Yes, Sephiroth-sensei?"

"When are we going to begin training over those lovely Sacred Arts that saved the Great Deku Tree?"

She paused. "I was wondering when you-"

"Wait-," I said. "The Great Deku Tree…he survived Ganondorf's curse?"

"Yes, in a sense. He…he suffered extensive damage, but…"

"It makes sense…you may have helped me hold on through the darkness as well," I said. "I heard your Hidden Forest Lullaby…it was beautiful."

"Well…thank you," Danika replied. "The Sacred Arts…passed down through generations of my father's family…are essentially small amounts of chakra encased in the pure, undiluted emotions of the caster. They may be simple to the beginner's ear…but they require both a strong understanding of the user's feelings…and a willingness to accept those emotions as healthy. Simply desiring to use one's emotions is not enough…if that was the case, the shinobi would drop their foolish way of ignoring emotions and use them as weapons indiscriminately. No…one must accept those emotions within themselves, and have open hearts."

"So it doesn't require a super-powered connection to the natural or spiritual worlds?" Sephiroth wondered.

"No…typically, once a person is willing to open oneself up to their own emotions, a connection to the natural or spiritual worlds will typically follow – you, Talim, would be an excellent candidate to learn the Sacred Arts, once you get the chakra control part down. Even if such a connection doesn't begin, a person can still cast a Sacred Art."

"So…where would I stand as a candidate, Danika?" Sephiroth wondered.

"Well…I'm not sure, Sephiroth…how do I put this in the nicest way possible?" Danika said. "You…you've been emotionally stunted. Your past as SHINRA's lab rat…they muffled all your emotions. You...when you learned the truth about your origins…I saw the cracks that have been forming in your psyche…and when I say cracks, I mean more like gaping voids. That, in the nicest way possible, means you may very well be a few misplaced comments or one more trauma away from madness. What you need…is to first be healed yourself…and that's going to take more than one Sacred Art. It will take days…maybe weeks…and in the current emergency, that may not be time we currently have. I don't want to hurt you, Seph…but-"

"Danika …Demise will use that to his advantage," I said. "We _have _to make Sephiroth a priority. Demise…he tried to make me become his puppet, and he tried to do the same to Kirby…while he couldn't get us, he could easily conquer Sephiroth via his emotions."

Danika sighed in agony. "I guess we have no choice, then. We have to get the Emerald before this day is over…and tonight…you and I, Talim, will be working overtime."

"What about your own healing, Danika?"

She sighed. "You have more problems than I do – in times like these, triage is in order. Yes, I am a spiritual and emotional mess…but you're teetering on the edge of madness. I love your White Flames, don't misunderstand…but I'd rather save you now than be forced to fight a battle I can't win later."

Sephiroth gazed at Danika with sad eyes, like a puppy that got caught peeing on the carpet. "Danika…why do you love me more than you love yourself?"

"Because you are the one person I have left that I would rather die beside than live without."

…

_ "Why won't you common people listen to me!" _Princess Ruto shrieked as we made our way out of Jabu-Jabu's belly, the boss being nothing more than a doormat for all four of us combined.

"Because we obviously have bigger problems than you, Ruto." Sephiroth said coolly, even though his face was cherry red. If anything had been a problem for us, it had been none other than the Princess of the Zora herself, who did not take kindly to being ordered around like a common soldier. Even Kirby, for all his kindness, had quickly turned sour on the point of Ruto.

"Seph…as much as the kid annoys me, we've got to get her back without hurting her _and _heal Jabu-Jabu…he's not in as bad of shape, but he's not got long." Danika said.

"Can I leave him to you and Talim, and I'll go calm down with Kirby?"

"Excellent plan, Commander. Do NOT leave without the Emerald…I feel another source of darkness nearby. It seems weaker than the others…but be careful regardless."

Sephiroth nodded, disappearing through the portal with Ruto and Kirby, leaving me and Talim alone.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to work in here?" I asked.

"My thoughts exactly," Danika replied. "All right, how's your chakra?"

"Okay, I believe…good enough for this."

"Good – take my hand. This isn't really something you learn through practice…it's more the experience, Talim."

I obliged…and a blue circle appeared around us as a star-shaped symbol emerged beneath our feet. Chakra flowed through me like a sea…more Danika's than mine…but I could join my small chakra reserves to hers, like a small stream to a mighty ocean.

"_Hidden Art: Healing of the Seas," _we said, joining our spirits in unison. I could feel a third spirit among us…was it Jenova, once again joining her power to ours?

Before I could think any further, words I knew not came to my lips…and I sang them, my spirit almost overcome with the power between us:

"_Onda blu, dove vai_

_Non lo chiederò_

_Ciò che tu perderai_

_Non lo cercherò_

_Cerchi di sfociare_

_Corri sempre giù_

_Quando trov' il mare_

_Fiume non c'è più_

_Wave of blue, long ago_

_Nothing but a stream_

_Rushing through mountain dew_

_To the sea's cold gleam_

_Nothing but a stream_

_Towards the ocean dream_

_Nata dal cielo_

_Day by day, deeper now_

_Al di là per quel sogno sempre più_

_Al di là delle colline_

_Scorri oltre il confine_

_Fiume non c'è più_

_Rolling wave, calling now_

_Voices clear and pure_

_Find the way home somehow_

_Find the way for sure_

_Quando vuoi sboccare_

_Scorri sempre giù_

_Finché trov' il mare_

_Finché non sei più_

_Wave of green, wave of blue_

_Flowing home_

_Non sei più."_

Finally, the music faded away…and we both crashed to the ground. "How…how did I do?" I asked.

"Couldn't…have asked for a better…first performance," Danika gasped, once again exhausted. "Next time…just relax a little more, and you'll be perfect. It was scary my first time…I was anticipating some nerves on your part, but don't worry."

"_Uhhh…girls, we have trouble! Big trouble!" _Navi, whom had been silent almost all day, protested.

"No worries, Navi!"

…

When we jumped through the portal back to the King of the Zoras Throne Room…an ugly sight met our eyes. "Danika, Talim!" Ruto yelled, she and her father standing between a man dressed in black, his eyes full of hate…and a trembling Sephiroth, clutching onto his blade for dear life. Kirby, meanwhile, was trembling beside Ruto, unsure of how to react.

_"Why are you trying to save them, Sephiroth?" _the man, a small fellow in black with a pale, sallow face, asked silkily. His eyes were deep, black pits…no doubt, full of Ganondorf and Demise's evil. "_You and your friends…you can join me…all you have to do is hand Danika over to my master. I promise you she will be unharmed…and your mother won't be a monster anymore."_

"Go to hell," Sephiroth growled, his confidence returning. Despite the fact I knew he was full of evil…I felt my breath leaving me faster than I could get it in. Why…did I feel so breathless? "Danika…belongs to me…and I won't let you…take her from me!" he growled, swinging his blade…which the man in black managed to catch, barely grazing one of his pale hands.

"Yes, Soren…you have him now," A deep, dark voice called out…a voice I knew to be Ganondorf's. "I can give you the power. Submit to me…and I will make you the king of your home nation. No more shall you be a mercenary vagabond…all you need to do…is serve at my feet."

Danika screamed in agony and rage, incapable of holding back…but then, the mage known as Soren did an amazing backflip, drawing dark energy into his hand. "_As this mighty captain_ _said_…GO TO F-ING HELL!" Then, before anyone could move, he hurled the evil that had once been in his body straight at Ganondorf…nailing him in the face before falling back to earth.

"Guards, arrest him!" the Zora King roared…but, knowing he was cornered…Ganondorf vanished. Soren, meanwhile, turned to face me and Danika, his hand still bleeding…and as soon as he saw me, his words caught in his throat.

Sephiroth, meanwhile, was still infuriated. "Okay, you little pasty-faced rat," he said. "Would you like to explain yourself, or do I have to cut you in two? You just threatened me with my girlfriend."

"All part of my plan, Sephiroth," Soren replied. "I drew Ganondorf's darkness into my own body…let him possess me…so I could get a better insight into his agenda. He thought he could trust me…and I let him believe the lie. The only thing that I didn't plan on…was that tan-skinned, barely-clothed princess."


	19. One Man Sceance

Chapter 19 – One-Man Séance

_**POV: Sasuke **_

The sage burned strong in my nostrils as I worked, quickly and quietly preparing one of the small gypsy sacrificial fires in a small container on a small desk table. It was small, perhaps almost too small, for what I planned to do that night. It had been almost two weeks…or maybe it had been, I didn't know…since Danika's death and the revelation of how the Hidden Leaf Village ruined the life of not only myself…but my brother as well.

Much to my relief, I found that training for the big match against Gaara to be something to take my mind off of my cousin's sacrifice…but that was about all the relief I was getting. Almost overnight, the village I had served for years…suddenly turned into a village full of strangers. Everything everyone said was something I didn't trust completely…or at all. For the first time in my years…I went from hating Itatchi…to actually missing him, and hating the village officials that completely ruined any chance of him having a good life whatsoever. I wanted revenge…not just for him, but for Danika-chan. They…they would have laid down their lives for the Village, one actually doing just that…and their sacrifices were nothing more than trifling's to them.

They dishonored my family's blood and name…and one day…they would have to pay for that! But…in the meantime…I would have to continue on training, for Danika's sake.

Meanwhile…I had been spending a lot of time with Hanashida, Danika and Tahana's mom. I wasn't sure exactly what I thought with Hanashida going on to become a genin because of her long history of health issues…but this was her way of grieving, and I respected that. I could have gone into my shell, and I did in a way…but I knew I wasn't alone in this, and I didn't have the power to do what I needed.

So…for now, anyway…I would care for the others that were grieving…and when the time was right…then I would strike…but not sooner.

"Training going well?" Hanashida asked me two days ago.

"Yeah…as well as it can be, under the circumstances," I replied. "Kakashi and I plan to head back to the mountains here at the end of the week…gonna be at it for the next two, maybe three, all the way to the finals," I replied. "You?"

"Well…still can't do math to save my ass, still getting all them damn dates mixed up…hell, I barely remembered my tutoring session with Kakashi last night, and he still showed up fifteen minutes late!"

I laughed, a rare thing these days. "You'd probably lose your head if it wasn't screwed on, wouldn't you, Mama Hanashida?"

She chuckled. "Yeah. Here, let me get ya some cookies…dummies gave me so many of the dang things from after the funeral I can't eat them all…and now that I'm trying to eat a little better, they all look like clutter…in other words, it doesn't help my anxiety one damn bit."

"Oh, I know where to send 'em, Mama Hanashida," I replied, grabbing three big boxes off the counter. "Naruto and Choji can help."

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun. You're a good man, son."

I stopped cold. "Hanashida…"

The older woman paused. "Son," she said. "You're just as much my baby as Danika and Tahana, and it don't matter that Danika ain't mine by blood. I made Mikoto promise to take care of the girls if I died before they could grow up…and she accepted so long as I would have taken care of you boys if anything happened to her. When your mama died, who was the first one at the hospital with you when you woke up?"

"That was you, Mama…and I didn't forget that."

She nodded. "There's a lot of dumb-ass sickos out there…they may say they've got power for ya…but they ain't gonna do nothing but take everything from ya and leave ya with a pile of shit. I know this place ain't been too much better…" she trailed off. "I know this Village can't be too much better…and I ain't askin' you to stay…all I'm saying is…don't forget the way home, and don't forget that you're a good man. Even if you never get your brother back, or don't restore the Uchiha Clan…don't let this world destroy the man you are."

I stared at her, setting the containers down at the table. "Mama…I thank you for always being honest and caring for me…I don't think you're gonna stay here either."

"Hell no I ain't!" she protested. "I got an ex-husband who's now in jail, and I gotta clean up both his shit _and_ mine. The divorce…I gave my husband and his team a week to say how they want to proceed. If they don't answer, this thing ends…and he's going to be paying for Dani's funeral expenses."

"Didn't you want to sue him for emotional distress and possible assault?"

"I did when he tried to take out her Sharingan and won…now that she's passed, the money passes to a trust for Tahana and her heirs…but enough of that. If I can get this divorce settled, I want to get my father out of the village septic."

I stared at her. "What?"

She groaned. "When Daddy died…he was coming home from building a baby crib for one of the neighbors…and he was standing right where one of the Nine-Tails's tails struck the ground. He was thrown some sixty feet into the air…and crashed into a hole some forty feet deep, where he died of his asthma attack under a massive pile of rubble."

"Why didn't he die on contact?"

"He landed in a muddy pool of dirty septic and human waste…but it was gonna take a hell of a lot more than a fall like that to kill my papa. Papa…nobody really heard his dying words…but he was growling and roaring as much as he could at that thing. But…when they went to try and get his body out of the hole…the water from that damned septic had softened up the ground so much he sank another twenty feet into the muck. They…they supposedly said couldn't get him out of there without causing a major water disruption, so what they went and did was rebuilt the septic lines over his body – and I was _pissed_."

"So that's why there was that huge dispute over water lines?" I said.

"He wanted to be cremated and scattered over the land, not buried down in a pile of human shit!" Hanashida yelled. "That's worse than burying him in the mines…and they didn't even mark where he died! I don't hate Naruto, and I don't hate the Nine-Tails for killing my daddy…but I hate the _Hidden Leaf_ FOR NOT RESPECTING MY DADDY ENOUGH TO DIG HIM UP OUT OF THAT HOLE, AND CARE FOR HIM PROPER! But I guess I'm too dumb and stupid to expect anything less out of a village that doesn't even bother to figure out who took my baby away from me"

I stared at her, suddenly terrified. "Mama…why didn't you speak up?"

"I had babies to feed – that's why!" she cried again, tears now coming down her cheeks. "Twelve years…he's probably all bones now. They told me they would care for him…oh, listen to this mad old woman. I can't do nothin' bout it now."

"Mama…you called me your son," I said, setting her down at the kitchen table despite my better judgment. "That means we're family…although there's no blood between us. I'll talk to the Hokage before I leave town…see if I can't get something done."

"You damn sure better hope so, son…thinkin' 'bout all this shit's pissin' me off," she said, wiping away the tears. "Speaking of shit pissing me off…I have something else from my daughter's room I'd like you to get rid of."

"You're cleaning her room out already?"

"I plan to move out of the Village proper, get out of this house at least," she said. "I'll still be a Leaf ninja…but I can't really live here any more. Too many ghosts…too much space…and Danika's room will have to be cleaned out regardless. Can ya wait here for me?"

"Sure."

As I sat in the kitchen, thinking of what I had heard…my heart honestly sank, and I could feel tears in my eyes. Were the ordinary citizens of the Hidden Leaf…little more than pawns, to be used and disposed at a whim? I didn't know much about Hanashida's father…but he seemed like a stubborn, belligerent good-old-boy who grew a good-sized garden back in the day. The garden was now gone, but it had been said he gifted his excess produce, flowers, and tiny plants to places like the orphanage and the old-folks home. He was notorious for his complete lack of teeth, a concealed but dangerous temper, and a bitter refusal to wear dentures, even in the presence of dignitaries.

There was one story my father told about "Old Man Hyana," as he was known, involving potatoes and his bad temper. When my father was a young man, some of his friends had concocted an plot to dig up all of his potatoes that summer, without giving him the produce. My father warned the old man, dressed in an open blue jacket and work pants, of what was coming, knowing he and his kids would go hungry without the produce. Hyana had sat very still for a few minutes, then got up, going to his window and grabbing a few small potted tomato plants off the sill.

_"Ya take 'dese home, boy, and take real good care of 'em, you hear? I can't give ya no money…gotta buy shoes…so ya take some o' mah cherry tomatas."_

"_Sir…thank you…but what will you do?"_

_ "You ain' gotta worry 'bout nuthin', son," _he said, "_You jes take 'dem home, and raise 'em good…I'll take care o' 'dem."_

Two days later, as my father was going to buy some potting soil for his new plants…he found out what Hyana would do. As he was leaving, a cry arose in the public square…as all of his friends stood together, all bound and gagged, in front of a small table. The Hokage stood behind the old man, as did his wife and kids…but oddly enough, he did not address the man, or even make a move to stop him.

In fact…no one did. Despite the shocked looks of the assembled crowd…they all stood silent in front of the toothless, angry man, whose face said it all. Even Orochimaru, it was said, was there…but he didn't even lift a finger in the face of the situation. A sharp butcher knife sat on the table, alongside a small pot. Without even saying a word, he grabbed one of his childhood friend's arms and laid it across the pot…and it was clear what was about to happen.

No one spoke. No one moved. No one even _breathed_. This, at the time, forty-something year old man…a man with no true education to his name, called a "dumb coal miner" over half his life…was about to give the entire Hidden Leaf a lesson about why _not _to mess with the food on his children's plates. Every single eye was on that man in dirty clothes, a blade now in his hand, utterly refusing to stop him.

And then…for some reason…he laid the blade aside and walked away, the crowd dispersing in confusion soon after. The kids involved were still given light punishments…but that one act cemented the name of "Old Man Hyana." When asked about it, he reportedly said he relented because "nobody was a-gonna stop me, not even 'da Kage…dat scared me."

Suddenly, Hanashida appeared, a black scrapbook in her hands – a funeral scrapbook, Danika had called it. I had remembered seeing this before, in the days leading up to Danika's grandmother Soria's death – she had made it to preserve her memories of her beloved grandmother before her death, so she would "remember her as she was in life." The old woman, with long silver hair and a heavily lined face, was standing next to a very young Danika, the pair in blue kimonos. They smiled, their joy etched on their faces – a far cry from the Danika I remembered in recent days. "This…I never liked that old hag…she tried to put you two in an arranged marriage behind my back. Funny thing is, Mikoto wanted to go along with it!"

I laughed again. "She was a sucker for happy endings…and Mikoto wanted to wait until we were both fifteen to do it, so that's why she was behind it."

"Well…get this out of my house, will ya?"

…

I did as she asked…and I quickly went to the Hokage over the matter of Hanashida's father's body. He gave me a lame excuse that he would investigate the matter after the Chunin Exams…but I knew that was his quick answer for "no."

The funeral scrapbook, however…THAT was interesting stuff, let me tell you. Inside, instead of finding photographed memories…was a literal encyclopedia of ancient Nasakura clan abilities, teachings, and the "Sacred Arts," a series of jutsu Danika had perfect mastery over – I had seen her use it at ten years old to heal six badly injured people with just one song. Page after page in the ratty old book was full of information…information I _knew _I could use. If I could use her secrets to access ancient jutsu and secrets…what else could I do?

The last page…was a step-by-step diagram on how to conduct a proper séance – I figured she learned it from Nerika. As I studied the page…the idea of contacting my parents for guidance got the better of me.

So now, in the dead of the night, I sat before a candle all alone, the scent of sage only beginning to fade. "Spirits of those gone on before me, I call to you tonight," I said softly, running the checklist over again in my mind. "I am a soul tossed about on life's angry seas…and I have lost my compass. Please…I know I truly have nothing to give you…but I need you. Guide me, that I may not fall to doom by my own machinations…and find a new path in my life."

There was silence for a minute…and then, the temperature in that room took an absolute nosedive. It took everything I had not to start shivering as a ghostly mist filled the room, splitting into seven white pieces and taking the shape of seven different people: Soria, my mother and father, the First Hokage, a man who looked like one of Danika's uncles, Shusi Uchiha…and none other than a red-eyed Teroka Hyana. One look at him…and the other spirits drew toward me, seemingly afraid of the ghost.

"_I want revenge," _he growled. _"They left me in their filth…and I want payback."_

"Teroka-sempai," I replied, "I understand you want revenge for how the village treated your-"

"_Depart this place, spirit of rage!" _Soria demanded. "_You are not numbered among the dead any more than you are among the living! Leave this place, you wicked fiend, and leave this soul alone!"_

The red-eyed man retreated, but did not leave. I knew in the back of my mind why he was there – he, like me, wanted revenge…and it scarcely mattered how he got it. _"Soria…yes, I have not died. My soul has remained with my bones these last twelve years, fusing with the filth, water, muck and mud. Soon, when the evil snake returns…I shall destroy him for his wanton destruction of the Village…and then I shall bury the leaders of this place in the filth they left me in, as punishment for their abandonment of both me…and the little grandchildren I loved more than life itself!"_

I knew who he meant. "_Sasuke…Orochimaru marked you with his curse, but his lure of power is nothing but a trap," _my father said. "_Wait in the Village…continue on with your life…and wait for your brother. For now…we have many secrets to impart to you..."_

_ "Indeed, we do…for in a few years time…you shall face the One-Winged Angel known as Sephiroth, the man whom has taken your place as Danika's betrothed. He shall seek to establish this village as the seat of his cosmic kingdom…and not even the mightiest of this village…not even Madara Uchiha…will be able to stop him. I knew he would come…so I arranged a marriage to save Danika from falling to his wiles…but I failed."_

"Soria…there was nothing you could have done." I said softly. "I wasn't good enough for your granddaughter, not in that state."

"_You must stay quiet about this…you musn't tell a soul." _The First Hokage said. _"You must follow us if you expect to survive this final battle…and save the cosmos from enslavement to the deity that guides the Angel."_

"I promise you I won't."


	20. Nightmare Scenario

Chapter 20: Nightmare Scenario

_**POV: Soren**_

_Lake Hylia_

_Sixteen Days to Invasion_

__I stared down at what few notes and maps I had of Hyrule…cursing just how awful our situation looked. Yes, we had the Stones…and a crack team…but I could see no way out of this situation without all of us getting killed.

You may be wondering how I got into this mess – and if you want the quick explanation of the situation, I was being stupid. Yes, Soren, tactician of the Greil Mercenaries, the very same man who helped Ike win the Mad King's War last year…has a capacity for stupidity. Here's what happened.

It all started one night in Melior, Crimea's capital. I met up with Ike, now a member of the political scene, and we decided to go to a local watering hole to get away from Crimean politics for an hour or so – have a drink, shoot the breeze, nothing too crazy. We both knew this bar, and we were on a first-name basis with the bartender, so we believed nothing would go wrong. Yeah, we'd wake up with headaches…but Crimean politics were the exact same thing, so no harm done.

Or so we thought. I'd had a couple drinks by the time we were ready to leave…and that's when I decided to use the facilities…which would come to be mistake number one. As I was leaving…I came face-to-face with a tall, red-haired man with incredibly dark skin. I tried to walk away, as he was a stranger and I didn't want to get in his business. However, he didn't budge.

"Sir," I said slowly, trying not to let the fact I'd tied one on show. "I…want no trouble, I'm just leaving."

"King of Daein, I know," he said. "But…why not come along with me, and free your people from their slavery?"

I stared. Yes, I was intoxicated…but I had sense enough to know that this guy was either a nutjob or dangerous. "No," I said. "Leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Your Highness." he said. Then, before I could react, darkness surrounded me…and I found myself trapped inside a dark space of horror, pain, and sadness. For what seemed like a day, I was frozen in the darkness, unaware of where I was…but as I lingered there, my mind concocted a plan. It was stupid…borderline a death wish…but it might just work.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"_I am Ganondorf, descendant and vessel of the god Demise, Your Highness," _he said. _"It's nice to see you actually coming around."_

_ "Call me Soren," _I said, "_What is it that you REALLY want of me, that you would interrupt a night out with one of my friends? What could possibly be so important?"_

_ "Your friend…Ike…he cares nothing for you," _Ganondorf said. "_If he cared for you…he would have installed you as the proper king, and given you what you deserve."_

I wanted to shoot off my mouth, but I knew better. _"I offer you your rightful throne…and a chance to be my right hand in the destruction of the Land of Hyrule. Ike could never, and will never, give that to you. Come, Soren…take what is yours. Show your father, Ashnard…that you are far better than that fool could ever dream of being!"_

I bowed down in the darkness, determined to play Ganondorf, knowing he probably knew my every move. "Yes…I shall serve you, and you only, my new master."

And so it was…I became Ganondorf's possessed servant for a month. Though my body was trapped in a dark crystal…I was an unseen shadow at his side, lending my tactical abilities and mind to his battle plans. I watched as Kirby and Talim, a woman who made my heart skip a beat…for some reason…were imprisoned. I watched as he cursed the Great Deku Tree…starved the Gorons…and cursed the deity of the Zoras. Despite the fact I was a mercenary, working out of self-interest, my heart felt sick. In the back of my mind, I could hear Ike speaking to me.

"_Soren…what are you doing?" _his shadow of a voice asked, prodding at my will. "_You know this is wrong! You know he's lying to you!"_

I wanted to listen…wanted to stop. But…I had to get every piece of intelligence I could on Ganondorf's troops, his magical prowess, his skills in everything. If I broke away too soon…I wouldn't be able to help whatever hero planned to stand up and stop him…even if that hero had to be me.

Then…the swordsmen, Danika and Sephiroth appeared, and the situation quickly changed. Ganondorf dismissed them at first as a "_shinobi with_ _a messed-up eye and a man with way too much hair." _However…he watched in horror as Danika destroyed his curses and Sephiroth made mincemeat of his forces with his behemoth of a sword. At one point, Ganondorf grew to covet the massive Masamune, and desired to challenge him to a duel to obtain it.

"_There are things in life that are fine stolen, like the Triforce," _he had said. "_But that sword…Masamune…that is earned. It deserves a master fitting of her raw power…and I want to challenge him to a duel for it!" _

I didn't care…I wanted numbers, troop positions, battle plans…and he blindly handed them to me. It was a slow process…piecemeal details, bits here and there…but I slowly gathered them together, bit by bit.

Finally…the battle at Lake Hylia came…and I had everything I wanted when Sephiroth slid the Zora Sapphire into the "keyhole." The pure light freed my body…now, it was time for the dirty work of freeing my mind from Ganondorf's clutches.

I don't remember much of what I said to Sephiroth…but I have a feeling I insulted his mother or made him try to hand over Danika, because when I heard Danika's scream…I knew I had gone too far. What I remembered, though…was Sephiroth's trembling. He was a man, a powerful man…but I felt like I was looking at a little boy who'd never been hugged, or loved…or even regarded as more than anything but a tool before Danika came into his life. When I finally flipped sides…it was then I saw some of the armor around him come down.

But…all the conversation and the great meal I shared with the team didn't put a dent in the cloud of suspicion around me…not even for Talim, whose eyes cut into me just like her tonfas must have cut into Ganondorf's monsters. Finally, possibly exhausted, Danika got up.

"Okay, Soren…let me just cut straight to the chase and say what it is that's going through my mind – I don't really trust you. You look and sound like a master at plans…but I have just as much desire to strangle you as anything else."

"Danika…this could have happened to you, or anyone here!" Talim protested. "Ganondorf…he tried to control both me _and _Kirby! Yes, I don't trust Soren very much either…there's no good reason to...but he has information that could mean life or death for us against Ganondorf and his Gerudo army."

"Talim, Danika, stay calm," Sephiroth replied, smiling. "Soren…we've all had a rough time of late. I understand you did well as a double agent, and never planned to side with this guy in the first place…but we need more time from you before any of us can really trust you completely. You say a lot…but can you back your talk?"

I smiled. "Well…what if I told you that Ganondorf is planning to move in fifteen days, at the setting of the sun? Already, he has spies buried deep within the castle…the king is already compromised. He will not burn the city…he plans to build his citadel…and march five thousand of his forces into the city, to steal, kill, and plunder anything he finds. If we're not ready to stop him…Hyrule will be piling up the dead like cordwood…if he doesn't reanimate them first."

"Can you plan some sort of infiltration, or counterattack?"

"With this tiny force – just four people and a pink ball that eats for an army?" I said, throwing up my hands. Kirby – the ball – looked at me like he wanted to use my head for a melon. "I can try…but you guys are headed for a suicide mission, Sephiroth - all of us may end up dead within a week as a result."

"Okay, then – I'll cut you a deal," the soldier replied. "Danika here…she likes to plan things, too. I'm gonna give the both of you two days to come up with plans. The rest of us will take a vote…and the "winner" will see their plan enacted. If you, Soren, fail…you go with whatever plan Danika enacts, and the same if Danika fails. Is that good?"

"Done." Danika replied, immediately disappearing. As she left, I could see the wheels turning in her mind…I needed to get to work.

…

However, as I now sat in my room, time running out…I was flustered beyond belief. How could I make a solid plan…when anything close to a solid plan would put us in a mass grave? Just when I thought I would give in to despair…a knock came at my door.

"Come in," I groaned. Oddly enough, Danika came in, a semi-confident look on her face. "Danika? Did you come up with a plan already?"

"A skeleton of one…but I'm gonna need everyone on board if it even has a chance in hell of working."

"Well, you're doing better than me…I don't have one I can even get behind, so you win by default," I said. "What is it?"

"I'm gonna call a meeting…I want everyone on the same page with this. I am trying to plan with everyone's strengths in mind, including Kirby's Copy Abilities and the Jenova cells. Even with that though…there's still a strong possibility at least one of us is going to die."

"And who would that be? Talim?"

"No," she replied, pointing at her chest. "I'm the captain of a plan full of holes…and if this plan goes down…I ought to go down with it."

…

"Danika, that's suicide!" Talim protested. "_You…_against Ganondorf?"

"It's just the way I want it," she replied. "Talim…it's simple. Ganondorf wants to kill the king, so he'll be in the throne room to do the deed…it's an ego trip, a means to make Zelda fold and fork over one of the keys to the Triforce. He's a cunning, calculating bastard…but we know his Achilles heel, his true weakness. We know exactly where he will be…and I can easily remove him from the equation long enough for you guys to take on his armies. His minions aren't all that tough, and I can teach you guys the Sun Song to freeze the ReDeads…you guys can defeat the army, maybe rally the troops, and help the citizens escape."

"What about Mother?" Sephiroth said. "You know he wants to get to Jenova."

"Exactly. I don't know if she's behind this as I am…but I don't see your mother rolling over and caving to that arrogant prick. We're going to trap him between two of his desires…the Triforce and Jenova…and he only gets to pick one. The catch-22 is…we've already picked for him. The Triforce can't really be defended…but Jenova _can_."

"And what if you die in all this?" Sephiroth asked. "No one's going to help you but my mother…it'll be only you and him. I'll be held up with the Gerudo."

"Sephiroth…Ganondorf's minions are _nothing but balsa wood_ to your sword and Materia…and those crazy summons you showed me. You're the true anchor in this plan…if you butcher the armies like I think you will, Hyrule's soldiers should be able to stop the bleeding relatively quickly. Talim, Soren, Kirby…you'll need to give your all to help him. If you guys can keep stocked in healing Materia and supplies…train with Cure, Cura, Revive, and Regen…and not try anything dumb…Ganondorf's army should collapse relatively quickly."

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby cried, jumping up and down as he spit out a big, dead, sword wielding creature before swallowing it again. Unlike our expectations, however, he did not transform

"Translation, please?"

"He says he has what are called "Super Abilities…" and that the Gerudo don't stand a chance, not against him," Sephiroth replied. "But…you still haven't answered the real question."

"Me dying?" she asked. "Sephiroth…you know I've faked being dead once already. You, of all people, should know that I, out of all of us, deserve the penalty of death…and I _would gladly die _to see this man humiliated, even if only for a short while. I'm ready for this…and if it means you guys get a good chance to walk away unscathed…then I can handle that."

I sighed. "I still don't like it that someone has to die…and I don't know what all you're talking about…but it's the best plan I've heard in a while."

Danika smiled. "Thank you, Soren. This does mean, however…that all of us need to be training. Sephiroth…you're on better terms with the soldiers…perhaps you can talk to Zelda?"

"She's a wild card…but if we can infiltrate where Ganondorf will focus his strike without causing suspicions…somebody pose as a servant, maybe a soldier in the guard…"

I smiled…now, we were talking _real _strategy! "_Ike…if only you were here…"_ I sighed.

…

_**POV: Ike**_

__"Ike…you would leave this nation…possibly this world…over someone who is probably dead?" Queen Elincia protested as Mist and I loaded up our things to head back to my father's old fort, tears in her eyes.

"Your Highness…Soren is a part of my family…and because of my failure to pay attention while we were drinking…someone attacked and kidnapped him, possibly killed him. I take personal responsibility for that oversight…and I will do _whatever it takes_ to bring Soren home, be he alive or dead. I will gather my family…and I will bring him home…even if I have to haul him back to the fort in a mule cart."

"We've looked everywhere, my lord…even Gallia and Goldoa initiated a search. He's…he's completely vanished. There is one way we haven't tried…but it's dangerous."

"Well, what is it?" I asked, suddenly quite upset that all options hadn't actually been exhausted. "Spill the beans!"

"It…it's actually a piece of magic that connects our world to a sister world of ours…a world called Hyrule."

"That land of fairy boys in green tights?"

"The very one…it appears that the man who kidnapped Soren used something again it to take off with him. Whether he got there or not…"

I was now embroiled in a war with my temper. "Your Majesty…I want every damned scrap of that piece of magic in my hot hands before Mist and I leave this palace tonight. Even if I never talk to you again…I _will _rescue Soren!"

Elincia stared in sorrow and horror. "My lord Ike…I would beg of you to reconsider your choice…but such pleadings would be futile. It is hidden among my father's things…he wanted to use it, but never did. Come with me."

…

_**POV: Danika**_

_Kakariko Village_

_Fifteen Days Before Invasion_

In the same inn, in the room I once shared with Sephiroth, I stared at the wall across the room, cursing under my breath and biting my nails as Talim slept peacefully in the bed where the man I loved once slept. I wanted to be with him…to bathe him in the music of my heart, as I had for the last three nights.

"You don't know how much I enjoy being enraptured in your musical joy,"he had told me the night before as we lay under the stars, his body curled against mine as Talim and Soren took the early watch, Kirby sleeping in the corner. "I…I feel like a baby, wrapped in the arms of a mother…loved, safe, protected. I don't feel like I have to do anything…save suckle at your breast or sleep," He then laid a kiss upon my mouth…filling me with heat. "Soon…very soon…I intend to make you feel as I do…I intend to show you the endless depths of my love."

As much as I hated playing the role of a thirsty, obsessive schoolgirl chasing a heartthrob…I weirdly enjoyed it. If I was to die in just two weeks…then I figured now was the time to enjoy at least this completely normal human behavior. I wouldn't have much time to do much more enjoying before Ganondorf rightfully snuffed out my life.

But then…I was being stupid. I _needed _to sleep, to train…if I wanted to give them a chance…I needed to devote myself to the plan…or more people would die.

I let out a strangled cry…why? Why did I always have to lose, to be bound so forcefully to whatever everyone else wanted? Talim stirred…and I knew I had to get out of there before I woke up everyone.


	21. Shadows Close In

Chapter 21 – Shadows Close In

_**POV: Danika**_

_Kakariko Village_

_Fourteen Days to Invasion_

__I ate my breakfast with the others, feeling rather dirty over my night with Sephiroth, regretting the fact I didn't let him take my virginity. It would have only been a moment…one blissful moment of pleasure…so why did I deny myself when I knew that it would probably be the last chance I got before I was dating the Grim Reaper?

"Danika?" Talim asked as I finished my meal. "Are you okay?"

"Talim…I couldn't find okay if someone circled it on a map at this point. That answer your question?"

She looked at me, knowing things were not right. "Can…we talk about it?"

"Why not let her spill the beans, Priestess?" Soren asked slyly, seeming to have at least an idea of what occurred. "I know Sephiroth was out last night…"

"Soren…don't be so harsh with her…she's had things hard enough," Sephiroth chided dully. "Let her have her fun while she can…because it's only about to get a hell of a lot worse."

Soren shut up immediately, but Talim and I left the table and went to our shared bedroom. "Danika…do you think I was taking Sephiroth away from you or something?"

"No…I'm just having a very hard time dealing with my feelings at the moment," I admitted. "Yeah, Seph and I did some…questionable sexual things…last night…but he didn't penetrate me, so nothing was consummated. I'm still a virgin-"

"What…what was it like? Was it fun?"

I stared at the fifteen-year-old. "You're not…mad?"

"No! I want to have someone touch me like that, too!"

I put my finger to her mouth. "Be careful, Talim…I know you're a nice girl, and you mean well…but there are guys out there I wouldn't broadcast that stuff in front of. Pot calling the kettle black, I know…but I don't trust the Hylians as a whole, especially not as far as that stuff goes. My family…has a nasty history…and I don't want you to get things you don't want."

"I know, and I thank you for your honesty…but I _want _to be loved," she said. "Sex…and sexuality…is handled very differently where I am from. Most of my people are known to engage in having more than one wife, and women are allowed to freely participate in sex. However, as the last of the Babylan, I was told I needed to wait until the wind called a lover to me and I married…and I believe it has."

"Soren?"

"Yes…but…I feel a great darkness around him, a deep sorrow, emphasized by the strange red mark on his forehead. Did you see it?"

"Yeah…but I didn't want to make a big deal about it. If there was some kind of serious problem that wouldn't allow him to fight, I figured he would have come to us last night and talked to us."

"And that's what I plan to do, Danika," Soren said, popping up and scaring us both. Talim yelped, jumping into my arms. "Come here, my dear…what did you call yourself again? I don't think I heard it right."

"Babylan…but you can call me Wind Priestess. It means the same thing."

"Soren…don't you think you're coming on a bit strong?" I said. "I mean, I get it, you seem like you're a bit of a newbie, and so are we, but-"

"You're right, I am largely new to this," Soren admitted, blushing ever so slightly. "However…Talim, you excite me, more than any woman I've ever seen. You seem…exotic. New…and you smell like…cinnamon, vanilla, and the sun all mixed together."

"I enjoy your compliments, Soren," Talim said, her eyebrows rising. "However…when all the newness fades…and my scent changes…will you still adore me as you do now?"

"_Damn," _I thought. "_For being a newbie, she knows how to hold cards."_

Sephiroth popped his head, chuckling ever so slightly. "Is this our meeting, Soren? If it is…I'd say you're fishing for girls."

Soren's blush covered his face. "Come on…let's go."

…

_**POV: Sasuke Uchiha**_

__"My daddy…he ain't dead?" Hanashida asked me.

"It's not that, exactly," I said. Knowing that I had to go to the mountains in just a short time, I knew I needed to talk to Hanashida. If Orochimaru was coming (as I believed he was, he was far from subtle), and her dad's soul was stuck in limbo…I needed to do something to ensure we didn't dig more unnecessary graves.

Danika's grave was more than enough.

"He's dead - he has no true physical body, let that be clear - but his soul has _not_ passed on. His soul in the process of building a new container for itself in that septic tank area…and he's pretty close to being done. He wants revenge on everyone in the Leaf, Mama…and if what I've heard is any indication…he will be heartless when he gets it."

"Oh, f-ing _hell_," she said, shaking as she spoke. "I need to talk to the Hokage, then…if he gained the Factor…Sasuke…what color were Daddy's eyes when you saw him?"

"Red…but what's that-"

Mama slammed her open palm into the table. "_Damn, damn, damn…_Sasuke, you'd better train your ass off for this Chunin Exam…or else, you're f-ed."

"What do you mean?"

Mama groaned. "My family…the Hyanas…there's a reason they were in those mines for so damn long…and it _wasn't _voluntary. Has my daughter told you she's technically immortal?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well…every single true Hyana (full, half, and even quarter-blooded Hyana) is technically immortal. Tahana's manifests differently, allowing her to permanently maintain a physical body, as it is impacted by the power she got from her dad. However…for us Hyanas…its different. See…our souls don't truly pass on when our bodies die. Our bodies will collapse…and we die like normal people…but our souls linger on…never to pass to the next life. You may call it a Kekkai Genkai…I call it our curse."

"How…did that happen?"

"The story apparently goes that the first Hyana…was a very poor, sick man named Lazarai, a man who begged in the Land of Earth. He was sick all his life…and in a world that favored riches and power, he was reviled and hated. The only friend he had in life…was a small dog. His dog watched over him…and Lazarai fed him from the scraps. One day, though…a rich man spat on him, and stabbed the dog with a kunai knife through the heart, killing him and walking away. Lazarai…he cried all night, cradling the dog in his old, worn out arms. As the dawn broke, a man – probably some kind of demon - approached Lazari…and made him a deal. In exchange for the souls of him and all his bloodline, he would not only be given the ability to avenge his dog, but an eternal fountain of power."

"This…Factor?"

"The Rage Factor," Mama Hanashida replied. "An endless fountain of power granted from rage. Unlike the Eight Gates, a person can't die from using it…but if overused, a person _can _lose themselves to madness. The old man…he rose up off the streets, killed the rich man, and shared all his wealth with all the people the rich man wronged…thus becoming a hero in the Land of Earth."

"But you said your family were forced into the mines."

"They were-"

Kakashi stood in the door. "Sasuke, its time."

"Kakashi…we may want to get the Chunin Exams scrapped. The Hidden Leaf…is in trouble. Big, big trouble."

…

(**Brief Time Skip of Two Weeks to keep Timelines the Same)**

_Two Weeks Later in the Hidden Leaf _

_**POV: Hanashida**_

__"Hanashida…you don't need to worry yourself," The Third Hokage told me, sitting across the desk from me. "We know that your father's lack of burial is totally inappropriate…and the Anbu is keeping track of Orochimaru. Our ninja are ready."

I stared at him, tired of arguing with a man who had his head so far up his ass he sniffed his own farts. "All right…but I ain't taking any responsibility for any blood that gets spilled. That's on you. All I know is that my daughter died to save people…and I'll be damned if I permit what she did to die in vain."

"Your daughter led to a massive security breach," the Hokage said matter-of-factly. "She should have never touched that scroll."

I stared at him. "How so?"

"Itatchi made a deal to protect Sasuke in exchange for the protection of valuable intelligence," the Hokage said. "About ten days ago, Itatchi amended the deal…and then broke it…in the name of his student, Danika. Your daughter's actions have put the Hidden Leaf in danger…already, dangerous secrets are being exposed. Lives will be lost."

I paused. "Shall I play a song for you on the world's smallest violin?"

"_What are you saying?"_

"I'm saying you brought all that shit on yourselves…and I have lost all sympathy for you, Lord Hokage," I said. "You've spent so much time lying to everyone and their mother that something like this was to be expected. As for Itatchi…good on him. I'm still mad at him…but I think he's overdue for a box of cookies. I might make him some next time he's in town…if he's willing to dig my papa out of the muck."

"He's an S-class criminal!" The Hokage yelled.

"Because you made him that way."

**Apologies for the time-skip…I am trying to keep my timelines running at about the same pace. I'm just trying to cut out a lot of filler.**


	22. World of Stone

Chapter 22 – World of Stone

_**Song used in this Chapter: World of Stone by Blackthorne's Night**_

_**POV: Princess Zelda**_

_Hyrule Castle_

_Day of Hylian Invasion_

Five warriors.

Five different worlds.

And a fight to unite them all…was set to begin this very evening.

As I passed through the halls, determined to keep the secrets of my five new guardians safe, I had to wonder…were the three golden goddesses really protecting Hyrule…or was this "Jenova," the half-goddess, half-human sister of Din, Fayore, and Naryu…ready to take up the mantle of protector of Hyrule…and perhaps, the entirety of the cosmos?

"Your Highness…are you all right?" Talim, posing as a maid, wondered.

"Yes." I said, taking care not to expose the five as they took up various posts throughout the castle to slip under Ganondorf's radar over the last two weeks, hiding their training and plans to stop the evil sorcerer. Talim was a maid, Sephiroth was hiding as a guard someplace, Kirby was posing as a ball in my room, and Soren was acting as one of the King's advisors.

The least envied position of all went to the hapless Danika…who was unceremoniously posing as a small gargoyle on the king's throne. I didn't understand why she, a powerful "shinobi," the first of her kind in Hyrule, would do something like that…but she gave an odd explanation that "she wanted to see Ganondorf before His Majesty does."

Whatever her explanation was, I hoped her clever plan would be enough to save my father, Hyrule…and the Triforce.

Those five warriors were Hyrule's last defense…without them, our world was doomed.

Suddenly, Impa, my nurse, appeared, bowing before Talim. "Young maid…Your Highness…should I evacuate Zelda?"

"No, Impa…such a move would let slip to Ganondorf that his plans are foiled," Talim explained. "We must let him think that the situation is his…at least for now."

"Have you used any of those Sacred Arts you spoke of?"

"Yes. Last night, to rally ourselves. But…to tell you the truth…there's no cavalry coming. It's us with our backs to the sea. If we fall, Zelda…you must do everything in your power to protect the Triforce…and keep hope alive."

…

_**POV: Danika**_

__Trapped inside the tiny gargoyle on the throne…I bathed in a maelstrom of my own hatred, determined to master the one weapon I hated most of all in my arsenal.

I didn't hate the Sharingan because of what it was, or the family it belonged to. I didn't even hate its Mangekyo form, or the awful price paid to attain it.

What I hated…were the memories it conjured.

_The image of my own father…the man I had once loved more than anyone else in my world…narrowly trying to stab my left eye out. I remember rolling into a ball on the floor, too scared and hurt to try to attack him as my sister pinned him down to the kitchen table, desperately trying to keep my newly-discovered stepmother from smashing his head into the stove like a rotted watermelon._

_ "YOU BASTARD!" she screamed, her family's Rage Factor turning her eyes red as she struggled to peel my now-half-frozen sister off of him - and our kitchen table. If she had completed her ninja training…Tahana never would have had a chance of keeping the situation from escalating. I remember the ice cracking and breaking…my sister using her icy powers as she never had before that point, desperately trying to keep the both of them from being sent to jail. "IF YOU EVER – I MEAN __EVER__ – TRY THAT SHIT AGAIN…I WILL GLADLY DRAG YOUR ASS TO HELL!"_

_ "Mom, NO!" I screamed._

_ "She'll never be you're mother again, you slimy bastardess!" my dad snarled through the ice, trying to gather fire into his hands…just as Kakashi-sensei leapt into the room, gathering me into his arms. I felt like he wanted to accuse me of something…but his lone visible eye seemed to understand._

_ "Ismero…what in the name of hell have you done to that child?" Kakashi snarled, tearing my sister off of the now-ruined kitchen table. Tahana crashed to the floor, tears in her eyes as her icy coffin smashed into a million little pieces. My half-sister, however, was barely phased – she ran and grabbed my hand._

_ "Come on, Danika-chan," she said. "We ain't staying there."_

_ The next few minutes were a blur, the sound of breaking furniture and screaming voices fading as my sister and I raced through the village to where Sasuke was staying. The next thing I remember was a door slamming…and Sasuke staring at us._

_ "What's up?" he asked. "Kakashi…"_

_ "Shit's gone to hell," Tahana said, forcing a box of tissues into my hand. "Trust me, buddy…you might wanna keep it here tonight. My dad just tried to take my sister's Sharingan eye out."_

_ He looked at me…but then, he grabbed me. "Danika…," he said, hugging me – a move very much out of character for the emo edgelord. Before he could say anything else, however, Kakashi flew through the door. "Everyone, get out of here! Protect Danika-chan!"_

_ "No!" I said, finally pushed to the point I was ready to kill my own father. If he wanted a death wish…I'd give it. I activated my lone Sharingan, tears still sliding down my cheek. "If that SOB wants to die…"_

_ Suddenly, two Anbu agents and the Hokage appeared, standing between the four of us and my father. "Our apologies, Kakashi…slight hiccup."_

Now, however, I bathed in those memories…determined to unlock the Sharingan, and all the power it possessed. I _hated _Ganondorf…not because he wanted to control Hyrule, or seize the Triforce, or even destroy the world.

I _hated him _– because he was just like my father. A thief. A hypocrite. A liar. He thought he deserved the entire world on a plate with no consequences. Nothing was ever enough for the evil snake…and he was even willing to kill an innocent kid to get his way. It didn't matter that his soul was bound to a god of destruction…or that I was probably going to be dead in the next twenty-four hours.

I didn't care if they picked the broken pieces of my body out of a rockpile…or left me buried in a pile of human filth like my grandpa.

So long as Ganondorf died…nothing else really mattered. My death would not only save Hyrule…but Talim. Soren. Kirby. Zelda. Her father.

And Sephiroth…my sweet, sweet Sephiroth. I had only known him for a month…and I knew I had an unhealthy obsession with him…but I knew I had what I wanted with him. His long silver hair…those lovely eyes that reminded me of cats. His tender embraces. His kisses.

No one…not even Sasuke…could match him…and I was _still _pissed I hadn't had sex with him. I laughed at myself…how had I become so silly? Sex at thirteen was a dangerous game…so why did carrying his baby seem like the only logical thing to do?

Suddenly…the thought of Ganondorf came back…and the hatred burned with a brand-new flame. Ganondorf…he was going to steal me from Sephiroth.

"_No…" _I growled, a fierce feeling burning me from the inside out. "_Ganondorf…you won't win so easily!" _

Some of the words of the song from last night suddenly filled my ears – a war song, one far different from the Sacred Arts Talim and I previously used. For this one, all five of us had gathered, hoping to hold on to a flame of hope.

"_Bring to me all of my arrows_

_Bring to me my crossbow too_

_I fear we might need them both_

_Before the night is through_

_Once a world of glittering hope_

_This world is not the world we knew_

_The only light left to shine_

_Is between me and you."_

…

_**POV: Ganondorf**_

__I had everything right where I wanted it. Standing, concealed in a hood, in a tiny barracks at the edge of the castle, I smiled, anxiously awaiting the chance to burst into the castle's throne room…and kill the king, taking my place as King of Hyrule.

There'd been hiccups, yes…but I felt my path to the throne was uncontested. The Hero of Time was dead…and the only thing standing in my path were five little rats. Two weird priestesses, a traitor, a pink ball…and the one man I feared.

I hungered for the chance to earn Masamune…it was the one thing I wanted to earn in this. It's vicious blade had cut through my pawns like butter…and sent a wave of careless hope through Hyrule as people rallied round the silver-haired Sephiroth and his tiny ninja priestess companion. I would crush that hope tonight…of that there was no doubt…

Suddenly, before I could finish my thought, a loud shout went out – the time was upon us! I teleported to the throne room…but as I appeared, my hand was clasped by a much smaller, paler one.

"_What?" _I thought. The hand pulled me forward…I was unable to stop it…and I fell flat on my face in the throne room. Before I could get up, however, the room around me disappeared…and I was lying on my stomach in Hyrule Field, a single soul staring down at me.

I struggled to pull myself up…but the woman jammed her sandal-clad heel into my back, shoving me down.

"Don't strain yourself…Ganondorf…" the woman said.

"_You_," I growled, calling on my dark energy to throw her off me…but the woman leapt back, letting me get up. _"What did you think you would achieve?"_

"Not much," the red-head admitted, drawing her sword – a simple katana – and readying herself. "I know this is suicide…but that's just how I seem to like it these days. The _real _question is…how bad do you want what you seek?"

"You know…you crazed ninja," I said, preparing a spell to escape back to the throne room. However…a green barrier surrounded me…and the spell stopped! "What…what are you _doing?" _

"Magic Neutralization Jutsu…in other words, hardening my personal chakra so you have nowhere to run," the ninja replied. "If you wanted what you sought, you should never have killed Link…or captured Talim, Soren, or Kirby. We know what you want…and we're not just going to let you have it, as you no doubt planned on. You have to fight for it this time…same as the rest of us."

"Fight for it?" I sneered, gathering myself up and drawing my sword. This child…she was nothing but a rag! "You stand no chance against me…I'll kill you with one blow! All you have is your crazy eye and your karate gimmicks…you don't stand a chance because you needed that silver-haired swordsman to help you."

"No…you _hope _you kill me with one sword swing," she said. "What you have are swords, magic…and the hope you kill me in five minutes or less, because if you don't…Sephiroth will kill so many of your women you won't be able to hold the-"

Before she could finish, a bright red light surrounded the castle…and an ugly roar was followed by a loud collective shriek, then a second roar. "Or that." she said.

"_It doesn't matter how many Gerudo you and your so-called friends kill, you ninja freak!" _I screamed. "_You…and those scum rats will never be able to stop me! I will get the Stones…and the Song of-"_

Suddenly, the ninja's pink katana slammed through my armor, and then she pulled it back out, flipping through the air. "Not like that, you won't," she said, both of her eyes suddenly blazing red with three comma shapes. "Now…you either shut the hell up and try to fight me…or I just kill you now."

The wound…it ran deep…but it wasn't serious enough for my trump card. "Very well…as you wish."

…

_**POV: Soren**_

__"I was a fool," the King of Hyrule said, staring at Talim, Kirby, and me as we watched Sephiroth and his mighty Ifrit through the window as he made hash of the last the Gerudo horde. "Ganondorf…I trusted him! How could I not have seen it was a lie?"

With Ganondorf removed from the throne room by Danika – a clever move if I ever saw one – the rest of the Gerudo were stunned and confused…a clear window for the superpowered Sword Kirby to slash the elites among the Gerudo to pieces as Sephiroth went on a crazed one-man assault outside the walls, freeing up the Hylian soldiers to form up behind him and clean up the rest.

"You trusted the wrong man, Your Highness," I replied. "Now's the time to fix that mistake."

"I will, young mage."

"Soren, what are we doing here?" Talim suddenly protested. "Danika, she's still out there!"

"Talim…no," I replied. "Danika…that battle is for her, and her alone. When two great warriors – Ike and the Black Knight, Danika and Ganondorf…collide like that – you have to let them duke it out themselves. Those battles…those are the ones in which destinies unfold. Despite our desires…we have to let them play out."

"What about Sephiroth?"

"Yes, Soren…you three should go help the new Commander-in-Chief." the King said.

"Commander-in-Chief?"

"Yes. I am not letting that brave soldier walk away without his reward…and as of today, he will be Commander-in-Chief of all Hylian forces. You…Soren…I want you to serve as his chief advisor until he has ability to choose for himself."

I was stunned. "You…you don't care that I'm…Branded? A half-breed?"

Talim smiled. "Soren…do you forget what we told you in the meeting? It doesn't matter that you are a half-breed of beorc and laguz…or that Danika's illegitimate…or that Sephiroth is a former science experiment. We…in this moment, are family…and nothing, nothing can change that…just like nothing can change that I love you."

Before I could respond to the wind priestess…she laid a hot kiss on my lips, deep and strong. Tears filled my eyes…and I wrapped my arms around her, letting go of my cold exterior.

I wanted her…goddess, I wanted Talim. My whole world had been taken…but she had given it all back and more. No woman…not even the lovely Elincia…could match this dark-skinned priestess of hope. I felt the same way Danika and Sephiroth must have felt…hopelessly in love, and prepared to die for the woman I loved.

But then…she let go. "Sephiroth needs us."

"R-Right," I said. "Zelda…"

"Impa has taken her into hiding."

"Good!"


	23. Beginning of the End

Chapter 23 – Beginning of the End

(_**Song used in this Chapter: Only Time by Enya – I do not own, as always)**_

_**POV: Danika**_

Ganondorf, finally getting the hint that he needed to fight, lunged at me…but for some reason, it felt like he was running in cement boots. Every step, with my new Sharingan eyes, was telegraphed like I was watching in slow motion. For a moment, I almost had to laugh at him as I leapt over his blade.

"_Danika…this isn't funny!" _Navi protested. "_I can't help you!"_

I smiled, taking advantage of the previous chink in his armor to create another with my charged sword. The king of the Gerudo looked at me, stunned…almost as if he finally realized he was no longer playing with a boy in green tights.

"I will admit…you are strong, young woman," he said. "You're not like the arrogant pigs I have stood against. But…can you avoid _these_?" Then, he hurled dozens of black and white energy balls at me…and again, in the light of a full pair of Sharingan…they were slower than molasses in January. I leapt, flipped, and danced around his increasing volleys of attacks, my anger starting to get the better of me.

"Barrier Style: Reflective Mirror Jutsu!" I finally said, creating a pair of giant-full length mirrors. At first, the energy balls didn't react…but soon, in Ganondorf's disgust at what he must have thought was another cheap trick…he started directing the attacks at them…giving me time to prepare a new jutsu as he was forced to dodge his own attacks.

"I'm disgusted with you, Ganondorf," I said, sick of toying with a man who clearly came unprepared for me. "You're not even putting up a half-decent fight…my boyfriend fights harder than you, and he's beaten me ninety-five times and counting. Do you _really_ want the Triforce…or are you so deep in being Demise's puppet that Jenova is all you crave from me?"

_That _pulled the trigger I wanted. Suddenly, he switched from warrior to very, very angry…whipping out a longsword, a wide beast about five feet in length. "_You_, ninja priestess, can _never _defeat me, even though you are the Vessel of Jenova! You are destined to be the Queen of Demise…so why do you choose to fight against me…and a destiny in luxury, as the immortal God-Queen of Hyrule?"

I smiled. "Because…even though Jenova possesses my body…I _chose _for it to happen!" I then leapt back into close range, my blade slamming against his – hard. "I chose this destiny for myself…and I'll be _damned_ if someone else is going to choose who my husband is, or where I go, or what I do! Jenova has let me choose…so I will do what I want!"

We crossed blades for a few minutes...but oddly, I sensed something different between Ganondorf and Sephiroth. It was almost as if he _didn't _want this fight to happen…and the more aggressive he was forced to be, the more reluctant he got. In contrast to Sephiroth's heavily offense-based combat, Ganondorf had spent the vast majority of the fight on defense…almost as though he was either too scared to hurt me…or was scared one wrong move would lose him Jenova, Demise – or both. Sephiroth, for his part, always enjoyed it when I pushed him...wanted me to force him to fight harder, change his strategy, keep him on his toes.

"_Danika…despite all the times I defeat you in these sparring matches…I love it that you keep coming back to try again," _Sephiroth had once told me somewhere around the seventy-fifth defeat. "_I love the way your sword moves-"_

_ "And the ways my hips move with it?"_

He laughed at the comment. "_Yes, yes, my sweet, sexy siren – I confess you almost beat me because I was too distracted by those swinging hips. But…you've grown more in these past four or five weeks…perhaps than any other ninja would in twenty years."_

_ "Because you are a master swordsman," _I replied, finally giving him his proper place. "_You've probably been at this for at least thirteen, fourteen years…and it's your craft."_

"Come on, Ganondorf…you can do better than that, and I know it!" I yelled after the third dance with him. "Come on, Demise…show me the true power of Chaos Incarnate!"

At that…Ganondorf suddenly froze, collapsing to the ground…and I _instantly _regretted the choice of words. I fell back, knowing that being too close to him would probably be a one-way morgue ticket.

"_Vessel of Jenova…you were wise to deduce my strategy…but you are unwise to defy me."_

"It's not me doing the defying, Demise," I replied. "Jenova is officially _over_ you…and has chosen a vessel of her own creation to love. Why should she love _you_ when she was stuck in a two thousand year old rock layer, with no one to save her? Why should she care for someone who _abandoned her_ when the goddesses disfigured her, instead of love her as she was? You should have been there for her, Demise…and you are so _damn_ power-hungry you abandoned the one person who would have helped you attain – and keep – the power you wanted so much?"

"_HOW…DARE YOU!?" _Demise roared, forcing Ganondorf's possessed body to its feet, his eyes turned to black pits. For an instant…I felt sorry for the Gerudo king now. I knew he'd been a puppet before…but most likely, Demise had snuffed out his life to claim his body…and I would be denied the chance to fight him as I ought to have.

"I dare because we both know how this hamster wheel has gone, Demise – in truth, you're just a sad drug addict," I said, not even bothering to call on Jenova. "You cook up some scheme, you get what you want…then green boys in tights and silly princesses take it from you. Why would you continue an endless cycle of grabbing power and losing it…when it all could have been broken if you leaned on the one person who always loved you?"

Demise roared at me. "_HOW DARE…YOU CALL ME A HELPLESS DRUG ADDICT!? I AM THE GOD OF CHAOS…YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME, YOU FOUL WOMAN!"_

I would have given him a talking-to…but this so-called god was in no mood for it. "_Jenova…as much as I would enjoy a long fight…I can't let this play out." _I said. "_I know I shouldn't-"_

"_You're going to use that?"_

"_My family isn't here…and dragging out this fight is going to lead to casualties," _I replied. _"Besides…it may be the only thing that can put a dent in Demise…I have no holy weapon to-"_

"DANIKA-CHAN!"a voice roared. I turned…just to see Sephiroth standing on a pile of debris, holding a purple-hilted sword – it was probably the Master Sword – in his hand. "CATCH!" He lobbed it…and by the grace of all the deities in the cosmos, I caught it.

"_You didn't catch that sword on luck," _Jenova said as I sheathed the katana – it would be useless here. "_My sisters – the goddesses – may very well have just forgiven me._

"Jenova, I don't care if they forgave you or not," I replied out loud, not caring she wasn't physically in front of me. "It's their duty to protect Hyrule…and with Link and Zelda now gone…I just happened to be the next idiot standing. With them or without them…I will die fighting for this world, power, courage, and wisdom be damned!"

"_YOU WILL NEVER WIN!" _Demise roared. "_So long as my curses remain on this world…my power will never die!"_

I looked over the wall, hungry for one more glance at my beloved…but he had gone. Swallowing down tears, I stared down the possessed corpse of Ganondorf, knowing this battle only ended one way.

…

_**POV: Talim**_

__"Is everyone okay?" Sephiroth asked, now back from his daring escapade.

"I am…Soren's pretty beat up, though," I said, leaning over to look at my dear friend of a mage, moaning and half-conscious. He wasn't badly injured…mostly lacerations and abrasions…but all his magic use during the battle in the throne room had exhausted him. "Kirby…looks like he's the only smart one here…he's on nap time."

Sephiroth activated his Cure materia…and the rush of magic woke up Soren, who soon pulled himself to his feet. "What'd I miss, Talim?"

"Not much…Sephiroth just used the Sacred Stones to fetch the Master Sword to help Danika."

"But…but what about the Triforce?" Soren asked, almost in a panic.

"Raryu, the Sage of Light…he's guarding it," Sephiroth replied. "That stupid thing is more trouble than its worth."

I listened…and then, I heard Ganondorf speaking of curses, and the wind picked up. "Sephiroth, Soren…I need your help. Danika…she can kill Demise a thousand times…but so long as Hyrule is cursed by Demise's power-"

"He'll just keep doing this every chance he gets – pouring an endless river of blood upon this land," Soren concluded, taking my hand and looking me deep in the eyes. "Talim…I know I haven't known you but two weeks…but know this…I hate evil every bit as much as you do. I just…I wish I had the spirit…and the heart…to love like you love, and give like you give."

"I know it's in you, Soren…perhaps a Sacred Art…will help awaken your heart. Come on…we can't wait."

We joined our hands, and I called upon my limited chakra. "Sacred Art: Healing Hope!" I called, watching with glee as the circle formed beneath our feet…and the words came to our lips as the sound of dripping water filled the air:

"_Who can say where the road goes_

_Where the day flows, only time_

_And who can say if your love grows_

_As your heart chose, only time_

_Who can say why your heart sighs_

_As your love flies, only time_

_And who can say why your heart cries_

_When your love lies, only time_

_Who can say when the roads meet_

_That love might be in your heart_

_And who can say when the day sleeps_

_If the night keeps all your heart_

_Night keeps all your heart_

_Who can say if your love grows_

_As your heart chose, only time_

_And who can say where the road goes_

_Where the day flows, only time_

_Who knows? Only time_

_Who knows? Only time."_

As the music faded…so did the stormy darkness that had been holding all of Hyrule Field in its sway for the last four or five hours. I felt exhausted…but instead of sinking to my knees, I smiled as the winds began to calm. Hyrule…was about to be completely purged of Demise's evil.

However…an orb of black darkness began to surround the Gerudo warrior…and, almost as if on her shinobi instincts, Danika disappeared…almost knowing what was about to happen next.

"_NO…__NO…__NO!"_ Demise roared_,_ completely enraged as his stranglehold over Hyrule broke. "I AM DEMISE…THE GOD OF CHAOS!I CURSE YOU…ALL FIVE OF YOU…TO UNENDING SORROW, DEATH, AND DESTRUCTION…NEVER TO KNOW HAPPINESS AGAIN!"

"It's over, Demise!" Danika roared back, reappearing behind the wall next to us. "Your curse can't bind anything anymore…thanks to those four champions, Hyrule is about to be free of you forever. Zelda couldn't do it…and neither could Link, Hylia, or the goddesses…but we, bound by our friendship, and help from the woman you once loved….we can do anything!"

She turned to us, her brown eyes sad. "This…this is probably the last you see of me alive," she said, knowing she didn't have long before the monster appeared in full form – already, Demise was preparing to unleash his final form, turning the sky above him purple and black as he became something akin to a massive, swordwielding boar. "I wanted to say…as your friend – I love all of you guys. Live great lives…have lots-

"JENOVA, YOU WHORE!" Demise screamed. "YOU CAN'T PROTECT THAT WENCH YOU CALL A VESSEL FOREVER!"

Sephiroth shook, ready to grab the Master Sword and kill Demise himself. "Danika…if he kills you…just know he'll have me next."

"Of course he will…Seph," she said, a tear in her eye. "I…I love you…"

"Get rid of him, soldier!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" she responded. Then, she vanished again, and we stared at Sephiroth, wondering if he would join her.

"My sword won't cut it…and besides, this is her fight," he said. "It was all I could do to convince the goddesses to give me the Sword. All I can do now…is wait for her…and if she dies…you can dig another grave for me."


	24. Fire of the Phoenix

Chapter 24 – Fire of the Phoenix

_**POV: Danika**_

They told me I shouldn't have emotions as a shinobi…that I should be nothing more than a machine. They told me that, as I shinobi, I was nothing more than a tool of the Hidden Leaf, used to fulfill their goals for them whenever I saw fit. Once upon a time, I had agreed with the rules…followed them to a T…and been their machine.

However, as I faced the boar/man/whatever-the-hell-this-thing-was-supposed-to-be that was Demise's ultimate form in the darkness of a moonless night…I was no longer a machine. I, thanks both in part to being an idiot and the machinations of a possessed Ganondorf…was fighting to save an entire planet from drowning in eternal darkness and chaos…and all I had was my wits and the Master Sword to possibly keep me alive. For a minute, I thought I should have perhaps followed the Hidden Leaf's rules, been a good girl…but then, I shook all those thoughts of doubt away, despite the fact that my chakra had been worn down in the first two bouts with Ganondorf.

"_Jenova, I think this goes without saying…but I'm gonna need you to step it up if I have a hope of staying alive."_

_ "Well, damn – I thought you'd never ask for me!" _she replied. "_I thought you were going to do it all by yourself! Good grief, I thought you would have called on me sooner."_

_ "I wanted to keep an ace in the hole…I thought-whoa!"_

The man-beast that was Demise charged me before I could finish the internal sentence, but I just managed to avoid taking a nasty hit that would have no doubt crushed my ribcage. My Sharingan eyes turned green with Mako, activating my cells to regenerate chakra at a rapid rate. As soon as he stopped, slamming into a nearby wall, I leapt up, determined to try to knock him onto his back – his stomach looked like one of his only vulnerable weak points. However, I only managed to knock him aside as he erected an electrical barrier, stunning me and knocking me backward. I flew back, and the creature pawed the earth, readying himself to charge again. My breath came out hard, blood emerging on my throat…I figured I broke at least a rib.

This was no defensive showcase. There would be no holdbacks, and no quarter given. This was a duel-to-the-death…and only one winner. I finally managed to get up, blocking a second charge…when I saw his six pointed tails, reminding me of a cat-o'-nine-tails. Perhaps…

"_Wha'cha thinking of, boss?" _Jenova wondered.

"Something stupid…something real, real, stupid," I replied. "But…it might just work."

…

_**POV: Ike**_

_Greil Mercenaries Hideout, Crimea_

You could have heard a pin drop in that room as the battle-hardened warriors of the Greil Mercenaries gathered together. I looked at the faces, even Mist's…and all of them looked heartbroken. Many of them knew what the meeting was about…but none of them knew what I planned to do about it.

"I thank you all for returning," I began sadly. "As you all very well know, some fifteen weeks ago now, our resident mage Soren disappeared as we were wrapping up a night of drinking…a disappearance I take personal responsibility for, as I was with him. For three months, all the governments of Tellius have devoted some of their resources to locating Soren, whether he was living or dead…however, nothing has been found, and he has been presumed dead. I personally gave up hope of finding him…until last week," I said, holding up the small book holding up the magic that would soon take me to Hyrule…with or without the Mercenaries.

"Her Majesty of Crimea told me about this ancient scroll…an heirloom passed down by the late King Ramon. It holds the key to a land that was long ago lost in fairy tales…the Kingdom of Hyrule. In a secret investigation undertaken by Lucia and Geoffrey of the Royal Knights, they managed to discover that the individual responsible for Soren's disappearance – which now means he was kidnapped – was the lone male Gerudo thief of his generation, a man who will now go under the suspected name of Ganondorf."

I instantly saw Titania and Oscar, the two paladins of the axe and lance, bristle in anger. Boyd, meanwhile, was eying his axe with a sense of purpose – I knew they wanted this guy's head on a silver plate, the sooner the better.

"I know not if Soren is now alive or dead, of sound mind or not…but the path for me is clear," I replied. "Where once the Black Knight was the object of my revenge…Ganondorf has taken that place…and he shall remain there until he is dead on my blade," I said. "But…before I undertake this quest…I wish to take a vote of you. Will you remain here, with those you care for…or will you follow me on this mad quest, whether it leads to us dragging Soren's body home, or bringing him home to Tellius alive and well?"

At that moment, Shinon, the archer who valued money over all – and regarded Soren as pompous - raised his hand. "Commander…did you say he was drinking when he got kidnapped?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, then, this bastard ought to be punished!" he said, almost completely out-of-his character. "In Tellius, you don't attack a man when he's drinking…or anyone when they're drinking, for that matter!"

"Shinon…" Titania protested, almost as if she was unsure of how to proceed. However, Gatrie was quick to back him up.

"He's right – Soren was trying, for once in his life, to be like the rest of us – and this is what he gets? I wouldn't stand for this…and I won't let someone just take advantage of another person when they're intoxicated. Make no mistake, I'm going with you – and this "Ganondorf" will be getting a piece of my lance!"

"I'll third the motion!" Boyd said. Oscar and Rolf nodded their heads…but it was then that Titania spoke up.

"Commander…suppose we go…and we can't get back, even if we retrieve Soren?" she wondered. "It sounds like a wonderful plan…but what happens if that's only a one-way ticket with no way home?"

I paused. "That's why I called this vote, Titania…I am not going to push anyone into this…because I don't know the answer to that question. As far as I know…this _is _a one-way ticket…once we go, there is no way back. I will go, with or without you."

"That says I go with you, big brother," Mist replied. "I won't let you try to brave Hyrule alone!"

"I'm following you, boss!" Mia cried. "I…I had a dream of a powerful angel…a man with just one wing. He challenged me to battle…and this could be my chance to fight him!"

We stared at her for a second, but Rhys quickly broke the awkward silence. "Commander Ike…we've been in these situations before. Yes…we've never had to go to another world before…but perhaps this incident is a gateway to new opportunities for us…a chance to see new people, and learn new ways. Why pass it up just because of the fact we're closing the door on our familiar lives…and we're possibly trying to save a part of our family? No matter what…Soren is still a Greil Mercenary…and he's still part of our family, which will never change. To simply give up on him…is a betrayal of everything we are and claim to be."

At that, Titania sighed, "Rhys…you're right. We…we can't give up."

I smiled. "Am I to take that as a unanimous vote…dreams of one-winged angels aside…"

"YES, COMMANDER!"

My smile got bigger. "Very well. Rhys, Mist…Ilyana is in the other room. She will be assisting us throughout this expedition."

"How'd you find her?"

"Easy…I promised her food."

…

_**POV: Danika**_

"_Damn," _I thought, blood trickling out of my mouth, my right hand cut halfway to the bone, and at least three ribs busted. If it weren't for this overload of adrenaline and the ghosts of people yelling at me to get up…I would have been a smashed ninja pancake by now.

The beast that was Demise, for his part, wasn't in top condition either…I'd damn near tore his stomach apart…and he was clearly running out of gas. One more volley – just one – would decide the outcome of not only this battle…but the fate of Hyrule. I knew what I would do…but would it work?

"_I'm running out of energy to help you, Danika," _Jenova told me. "_If you don't make this blow count-"_

_ "_Jenova…this is the end of the battle," I replied, gasping as I formed the seven hand signs to unleash a fiery hell on earth. "This ends…whether he likes it or not."

"_You know you cannot defeat me, you whore," _Demise said, turning to us as he gathered his darkness into a final battering ram. "_You may as well give yourself to me…and let the girl live. Otherwise-"_

_ "SHUT THE F- UP!" _we screamed, allowing ourselves to be sheathed in a tower of flame. It didn't matter if we lost…we were going to burn this disgusting boar-man to death.

Everything in the cosmos…had been arranged for this moment. Ganondorf had arranged the game…killing a child and imprisoning warriors…to ensure he would gain the Triforce and rule Hyrule uncontested.

And the cosmos…was about to show him what pushback looked like.

"_FUSHICHŌ NO HI: FIRE OF THE PHEONIX JUTSU!" _we screamed. The pillar of fire became an explosion of blinding white light…I hoped the others weren't looking…and the cry of a phoenix split the air….charging the beast that was Demise and plunging through his body.

The last thing I remember…were my bones being smashed into as Demise screamed in livid agony.

…

_**POV: Sephiroth**_

The blast from the collision of the phoenix and Demise's final charge…reminded me of the old story of the atomic bomb. There was first a moment of silence…very eerie silence…as the two forces connected…and then, a bright column of light as the winds picked up.

Soren and I couldn't move, stunned by the sight before us…and Kirby was, somehow, still soundly asleep…but Talim knew what was coming. "Wind, shield us!" she cried, throwing us to the ground with a burst of adrenaline as the explosion came. Within seconds…a cool, rushing wind surrounded Hyrule Castle Town as the temperature in that blast radius exploded to a high enough temperature to burn every damn stitch of grass on that land. Demise…if he wasn't dead…he'd be vaporized into the ether.

But then, as I lay there, pinned to the ground by a 115-pound woman, no bigger than a minute, tears filled my eyes. Danika…and Mother…they were dead…they had to be! That blast would have vaporized Danika as surely as it had Demise…there was no way!

The seconds passed like hours, neither Soren nor I daring to leave our spots on the ground as Talim screamed, her skin being burned. Finally, the wind priestess's screams stopped…replaced by agonizing moans…and she slipped into unconsciousness as wary Hylian troops, beaten and battered by the conflict, slowly made their way across the rubble, pulling the woman off…just as an orange phoenix appeared, crying tears upon Talim's savaged back.

"Stop, stop! Put her down!" one of the captains yelled, pointing over at what would come to be known as "Devastation Zone Zero." Talim was laid on the ground as the phoenix wept healing tears upon her back…and the soldiers scrambled to the crater that held Danika…and for some unknown reason…the battered corpse of Ganondorf.

Soren and I finally got up…just in time to hear Kirby wake up from his nap. "Nice to see you, you lazy puff!" Soren groused. Kirby, however, ignored him…and gave a whistle, summoning a bright yellow star from the sky. He leapt on it…heading straight for the extremely hot crater, too hot for humans to enter. Then, he landed, grabbing Danika…and somehow managing to put her on the star, sending it back toward us. Soren stared at me.

"What the hell-?"

"She helped Kirby two separate times…he's doing what any friend and hero would do," I explained. "He told me once that he felt he didn't really have anything to give her that would show her how much he cared about her as a friend…but I think he just evened up his ledger. As for the whole star thing…don't question Kirby's logic."

The phoenix, finally finished healing an unconscious Talim, turned his attention to the critically wounded Danika. She looked atrocious…Demise had sliced open her abdomen, blood gushing out like a fountain…her eyes open wide and face frozen in a scream. Multiple ribs were broken…she had only minutes to live. I activated the Cure materia I had taken away from her, determined to help the phoenix…and it worked, pulling the garish wound closed.

I wanted to run to her…hold her in my arms…and tell her how much I loved her…but there was one piece of business Soren and I needed to complete. "Come with me," I said, gesturing to the rapidly cooling crater. Soren obliged…and we stepped down into the twenty-foot deep hole, pushing aside the rocks that remained…to examine what we hoped was the corpse of the monster that had put us through this hell. The Master Sword lay at his feet…and he lay there…half of his body burned as a darkness within his abdomen fought desperately to seal him back together.

"Soren…will you cleanse this world of the pest, or shall I?"

"Ordinarily, I'd leave this to an expert…but today, I feel it necessary to deal with this myself in retribution," he said, grabbing the Master Sword and raising the heavy blade above his head. "My swordplay is rough…please finish him if I mess this up."

"_You won't kill me, traitor," _the voice hissed. "_You are a worm…and will always be a-"_

Soren didn't let him finish, slamming the blade into Ganondorf's gut…forcing the darkness to shatter and burn in the light of the returning sun. "Worms are what happen when you take advantage of a drunk," he said, handing the blade to me. "My dear Sephiroth, would you like a trophy?"

"My pleasure…but put that down before you kill someone with it," I replied. When he did, I unsheathed Masamune. "Danika certainly won't be pleased with me…but this is what happens when you f- with a man's girl, you SOB."

Soren howled with laughter as I beheaded Ganondorf's corpse. "Your work in the art of profanity…it should be recorded for all posterity!"

I picked up Ganondorf's bleeding head. "It only comes when people feel the need to take my nobility and manners for weakness," I replied. "Come…Hyrule beckons us…and we may need to retrieve Zelda."

"I've already sent messengers for Impa – I believe they would have headed for Kakariko," the king said. "Commander, Advisor Soren, come with me – we have business."


	25. Birth of Champions

Chapter 25 – Birth of Champions

_**POV: Talim**_

_Hyrule Castle_

__"It's so good to see you up and moving again, Danika!" I said as I met the newly-engaged shinobi in the middle of the hall, some two days after Ganondorf fell. "And that ring…Sephiroth really knew how to pick one!"

"Well…you know that a man who's just attained that kind of power isn't going to skimp on the finer details. He's going to have to go through the courts, as I'm still only thirteen…but in light of the recent emergency _and _the fact he's now Hyrule's Commander-in-Chief, second in political might now only to the king, it's most likely going to be little more than a rubber stamp."

I nodded. "So…what do you think he'll do?"

"As commander…I don't know, but I can make some guesses," Danika said. "Most likely, the Gerudo aren't going to take this embarrassing of a defeat lying down…and the King is most likely going to see this as a series of acts of war…we're nowhere close to-"

"Danika, Talim, throne room, _now!" _Zelda said, popping up at the end of the hall.

"Yes, Your Highness!" we said, following after her as quickly as we could. We entered a black-creped throne room, dozens of soldiers standing at attention. As we passed, some of the soldiers smiled at us, determined not to break rank. Soren, Kirby, and Sephiroth were already kneeling at the feet of the King…Kirby, for some reason…sucking on an odd candy on a stick.

"Lollipop." Danika said. The candy disappeared, and Kirby leapt into the King's lap for a few pets before resuming his place at the foot of the throne, giving rise to a few laughs. Then, the King rose, signaling for a hush as he addressed us privately.

"My guards, my soldiers, heroes of the realm…I seek to address you first in private, before I go before my people at the strike of noonday," he said. "In light of recent events…it is incredibly clear to me that I was foolish in trusting the fallen King of the Gerudo, extremely foolish. I was also foolish in trusting several of my officials…some of them being paid and owned by none other than Ganondorf himself," the king replied. "These individuals have already been caught…including the former Commander-in-Chief of my forces. They shall be tried in accordance with Hylian laws concerning treachery, cowardice, and corruption…and the appropriate punishment shall be meted out."

I was saddened, but Danika gave me a look that seemed to say, "_They earned it, the greedy bastards."_

"In light of the fact the Commander-in-Chief and his chief advisor have been ousted…that means two new appointees must rise to take their places," the King stated. "The choice for the first position is obvious…a monster of a man who slaughtered some 1,500 Gerudo under his own magical prowess…and forced the rest to taste his blade, the vicious Masamune. I introduce to you a man as infamous for his hair as he is for his blade work: Sephiroth, The Great Demon-Wielder of Gaia and Hyrule!"

Sephiroth flashed an obligatory smile at the King as the King tapped his shoulders with his own blade, then rose as the King beckoned him to his feet for applause. The soldiers roared as their new commander smiled at them…although it was clear to both Danika and I that he wasn't exactly looking forward to being so high-profile yet again, even in this emergency.

"The second position…I believe I am going to leave that to Sephiroth," the king said, turning the floor over to Hyrule's new second-in-command.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Sephiroth replied. "In the beginning…I questioned the King's decision to appoint my advisor. I felt that it should fall to me personally…not a split-second decision made on the whims of a leader who made some questionable choices in the past. However…in light of some recent choices of my own…I believe the King has shown his wisdom in selecting this man to be my advisor. He is a man of few words…but a man of intellect…great courage…and unquestionable loyalty, even if he is thrust into a situation he knows not. With this…I present to Hyrule…Soren, Master of Tellian Winds."

Soren got his round of applause and a similar tap on the shoulders by the king, but the rest of the room looked startled as Soren turned to stand by Sephiroth. "Commander…this seems a bit odd of you. Why would you not choose Danika, the brave heroine who faced down Ganondorf and concocted the plan to destroy him?"

"Because…just two hours ago…Danika accepted my marriage proposal…which I shall be sending for approval to the courts by day's end. It…would be unwise of me…to saddle my future wife with both the duties of commanding an army _and _my future household…when she will no doubt be better suited fighting on the ground, where she will do the most good."

Loud cheers erupted at the news of the marriage proposal, and Danika smiled. "Commander…I thank you for the honor of being permitted to continue fighting…and the honor of your proposal." she said.

…

"So…you're planning to return the Master Sword…even when we just declared war on the Gerudo?" I asked Danika and Sephiroth as we walked to the church that hid the Sacred Realm.

"Ganondorf – and by extension, Demise - is the reason I begged for the Master Sword," Sephiroth explained. "I didn't want to – I knew it would be out of place to ask for it…and would leave the Sacred Realm wide open – but there was no way any of our weapons would have been able to put a dent in the combined might of Ganondorf and Demise."

"Sephiroth…you did what you believed needed to be done under the circumstances," Soren said. "If I was in your place…the only thing I would have probably changed was going for the Master Sword at an earlier time. However…that could have been playing right into Ganondorf's hand the entire time."

"Exactly…that's why Danika getting him out of Hyrule and into Devastation Zone Zero was so critical. If he were in Hyrule, and those two were fighting…there would have been nothing left but ashes, dust and death," Sephiroth said as he opened the doors to the church. "Last time I was here, it was black and pouring rain…almost got hit by lightning twice."

We entered the massive cathedral…to find the old man known as Raryu, the Sage of Light, standing before the stone mass that held the three Sacred Stones. "Sephiroth…you've returned!" the old man said as the two men embraced in a hug.

"I'm assuming your Light Barrier held?" Sephiroth wondered.

"Yes, oh yes," Raryu said. "Who are these with you?"

"This lady with ebony hair is Talim…Priestess of Winds for Earth, beloved of Soren, and Fayore's Champion," Sephiroth began. "The little pink puff is Dream Land's bottomless vacuum – and most dangerous blue mage, Kirby. The man in black is Tellius's Master of Winds, and chief tactician of the Greil Mercenaries, Soren."

"The man in black…I like it, has a nice ring to it." Soren admitted.

Raryu stared at Danika. "And this…is your beloved? The vessel of Jenova, fallen half-sister of the goddesses?"

"I doubt Mother shall be called "fallen" much longer," Sephiroth said dully, staring into the entryway. "Based on what you've said…"

"It must be between her and the goddesses….Danika must take the Master Sword into the Sacred Realm, and replace it in the stone. They are family…and this matter must be handled between them. Danika shall be given her due reward as the Hero of Hyrule-"

"Sephiroth dealt the kill blow…all I did was-"

"You made the choice that led to the end of Demise's stranglehold over the land," Raryu said. "_You, _Danika…you sang the Sacred Art that healed the Great Deku Tree…and you found the heroes that would lead you to where you were able to break Demise's power."

"It was you who took Ganondorf out of the equation," Soren said. "Without you…and your willingness to take the heat…we would have surely died. You taught me to wield a kunai…and taught all of us about how to wield chakra."

"Stop carrying the blame of your past, Danika," I said, stroking her soft, pale cheek…a far cry from the way it had been when we first met. She now wore a long, green, one-piece garment…a departure from the white yukata she'd been noteworthy for, highlighting her breasts, carved hips, and overall gorgeous form. Her teeth were white…pure like milk, and her eyes burned with a calm, determined purpose. In truth…she looked like a young forest nymph…not the hard-bitten looking girl with a fear of the dentist. "You burned your past in the flames of your passion…and the flames of the phoenix. All that should remain for you…is a bright, shining future…as Sephiroth's wife, and the servant of Jenova."

Kirby grabbed her hand, and Danika finally smiled. "You…you're right," she said. "I hurt a lot of people…but at least they didn't all get killed."

"You gave them a chance at lives without fear," Sephiroth said. "The snake that led you to this…he'll be forced out of his hole soon enough. And even if you don't kill him…he'll fall on the sword he tried to stab you with."

Danika laughed as she walked up to the door of the Sacred Realm. "Now…I don't necessarily recommend looking at me for the next few minutes. I suspect…Jenova will have to leave my body. Until then…see you guys later."

Then, the red-haired beauty waltzed into the Sacred Realm…and the door sealed shut. "The goddesses…they're returning to Hyrule," Raryu said. "You'll need to stay for a while."

"I hope you have a restroom." Soren said, almost tongue-in-cheek. "And…room enough for _this!"_

He got down on one knee in front of Sephiroth and me, causing the former to step aside. "Talim…I know this has been a very rotten two weeks…and I deserve your rejection more than anyone else, because I abandoned you for my own purposes…but from the minute I laid eyes on you some three months ago, I knew no Tellian woman could compare. Even if you say no to my ring…please, Talim…forgive me."

"Soren…I have forgiven you a thousand times already," I replied…my heart melting to putty. I was incapable of resisting. Though we hadn't had such an intimate relationship as Sephiroth and Danika's…we loved each other. We had fought alongside each other…I had shielded him from the Fire of the Pheonix…and he had seeped into my heart to fill the hole left behind my the loss of my loved ones. He was more than a mage, or the prince of a fallen bloodline of royals…he was a broken human being, torn between two races that did not want him…and given up for dead even by his closest friends.

Soren pulled the ring out of his pocket, a simple band of iron compared to Sephiroth's silver band with three diamonds. "You deserve so much more than what I've given…I don't deserve you and I know it. Talim…you deserve a king…princes with golden palaces…a thousand servants, devoted to your pleasure alone-"

"No, Soren…all I desire is to be one with the wind," I said. "The wind…it set me on this path…and it has led me to you. The wind…has called us to be together, Soren. It runs in our blood…calls through our veins. You've felt it…have you not? Every time you call on the wind…you hear me, don't you?"

"Yes…Yes, Talim, it does."

"So…you know I'll marry you, right? I'll marry you a thousand times…just to tattoo it on your heart that I belong to you?"

Tears welled up in Soren's eyes. "Thank you…Talim."


	26. The Death of Six

Chapter 26 – The Deaths of Six

_**POV: Danika**_

_Sacred Realm_

I walked into the Sacred Realm, seeing the temptation of the Triforce before my eyes. For a moment, the golden relic…if I could get the wish that it supposedly granted…cancer would be history at last! But then…I knew that the Triforce had been the cause of all our troubles…and so I couldn't insult my friends that way.

That thought…brought me back to the days before my grandmother died. The cancer…it was aggressive, as I've said before…but none of us were prepared…perhaps not even her. One day, one of my aunts went to her house, as she had been complaining of stomach pains for the last few days, and her severe cataracts meant she had to get help going places – she once went to the Yamanka Flower Shop, mistaking it for a funeral home - and causing quite the scene before realizing she was lost. It wasn't funny to her, but we all got a kick out of it because we Nasakura can't stand the smell of the place – my mother having previously thrown up in the establishment, and my sister having what looked like an asthma attack.

When may aunt made it to the house, though…Granny Soria was down on her back, breathing heavily, clutching her abdomen…and borderline raving. "_Mother, what's wrong?" _my aunt had said, fearing a heart attack.

"_The Angel! The Angel!" _Soria screamed, crying on the floor. My aunt was puzzled – in all her life up to that point, Granny Soria seemed to have a hatred of angels among all the spirit world's beings – a borderline phobia that had apparently haunted her from the age of nine on up. No one knew why…and Granny Soria refused to explain what brought on her hatred…a hatred even worse than what Sasuke had for Itatchi. "_The Angel…he seeks me dead!"_

"_Grandmother, there is no-"_

"_YOU FOOLS!" Soria shrieked. "THE ANGEL HAS MANIPULATED YOU ALL…EVEN THAT DOLT I MADE MY SON TAKE FOR A WIFE! DANIKA…DANIKA!"_

My aunt, not knowing what else to do, raced my grandmother to the hospital…where she promptly had to be sedated because she was acting in a dangerous manner. I was in school, but my dad waited to tell me and my sister about the incident…partly because he was unsure of what was going on…and as time passed, my belief that he was happy to see his mother leaving the picture. If you thought the relationship between my mom and Granny Soria was icy…Soria's relationship with my father was below zero. As the eldest son, he was expected to carry on the traditions of the gypsies…and he _refused_, his father Narushi backing him up.

"_Mother, nobody believes in your stupid rituals, witchcraft, or traditions anyway!" _my father had said as a teen. "_I'll love who I want…sleep with who I want…and do what I want! I don't need you ordering around my every move…you can push that on someone else!" _he had said.

_His mother stared at him. "If you do not follow the gypsy way, my wayward son…come back to the ways of old…you shall be drowned by your own blood! The power you crave…it shall be stolen from you…and your daughters shall not permit their seed to have company with you!"_

"_Is that a threat?"_

"_No…my son, I curse you to that!" _Soria cried. "_It matters not what you do…or where you run…you shall be ruined, utterly ruined!"_

Now, standing in front of the pedestal, Master Sword in my hands…my father's words to me that night, when he got the diagnosis…seemed oddly light-hearted, even though he knew my feelings would be hurt.

"_I know you love Grandma, Danika…but going to see her would hurt too much!" _he'd said, putting a hand on my shoulder and giving me a tissue. _"She's dying…seeing her now would break your heart!"_

"_I know, Father…but it was what Grandma wanted," _I had said. "_She said that when she was dying, or just before she died…I needed to be at the foot of her bed, even if only for a few minutes. She said…she needed to impart something to me."_

My father looked extremely hurt…or perhaps now, butt-hurt. "_The final blessing of the priestess…blast!"_

"_Daddy?"_

"_It…it's nothing, princess," _he replied, looking angry in his jonin jacket. "_If that's what you want…we'll head out now. Go get pretty for Grandma…she would want nothing less than the best from her heir!"_

Staring at the Master Sword, I looked to the ceiling. "Goddesses of Hyrule…you disappoint me," I said, unafraid. "However…this world will not be safe until this sword is returned to its home." I said, sliding the blade in as the triangles on the floor began to glow and red, green, and blue flames lit up the floor. Suddenly…I felt my eyes turn green with Mako…but this time, my body weakened.

"_My sisters come," _Jenova said. "_Sleep a while."_

I sank to the floor, tired and overwhelmed…and I sank into a memory filled sleep. My dream…was the last time I would see my grandmother alive.

…

_**POV: Jenova**_

__As my spirit form rose up from Danika's body, I looked down at what my manipulations had birthed. Yes…she was developing into the warrior and broodmare I had desired…but there were still things that needed work. Her memories…her feelings…her heart…all of them needed further molding. I didn't want a mindless machine…but the Leaf Village was her anchor, dragging her down when it didn't need to.

I wanted her to be free of her fears…live without regret…but I couldn't have her will tempered by regret or shame. I wanted her to be a sexy bombshell who lived only to serve me and my son…a broodmare who grew more lovely with every baby she sired. She would serve the both of us in unending joy and happiness…and the old things that once held her down would only destroy said happiness if they were permitted to continue living. Even if she forgot her closest friends and family…I would ensure her happiness.

Then…in three flashes of light…the golden goddesses that were Din, Fayore, and Naryu appeared…and I could sense their hatred of me. They hadn't forgiven me…they weren't _anywhere _close to that.

"_Jenova…you wicked harlot…you destroyer of men," _Din began, malice in her voice. "_How dare you be bold enough to come before us?"_

_ "I'm only here to return what my son needed to take," _I replied. "_If he hadn't taken the Master Sword…your precious Triforce would be broken, and the world drowning in darkness, just as my son said it would. I thought I could ask you to forgive me…I helped kill my former lover…saved the world you took me away from…but its obvious no forgiveness is coming from you."_

_ "What wisdom is there in forgiving a monster like you!?" _Naryu screamed. "_Even from your childhood…long before you loved Demise…darkness dwelt within you. Jealousy. Hate. Murder. You hated us…even as children."_

I laughed. "_Naryu…Naryu…where has your wisdom gone? You call me the monster…forgetting you deal with someone who is only half-divinity. I only hated you because you held my humanity like a hammer over my head…NEVER MISSING A CHANCE TO HIT ME WITH IT! Always telling me I was too weak, too easily manipulated…that I, as a half-human, would pollute everything I touched. Demise…at the time, he showed me something akin to pity…akin to compassion. He kept me from trying to kill all three of you several times…but I see now that killing you all would have been the only just course of action."_

_ "And how do you arrive at that calculus, Jenova?" _Fayore wondered.

"_Simple. You and Mother have been treating this world like your personal fiefdom…letting it slowly degrade and die over these last two millennia and some change. The Hylians…they went from once having more than enough power to protect themselves to some degree…to being chained to worshipping you. They went from sky-masters…to fearing almost everything that comes from it. You…instead of trying to stop Demise from corrupting Link and Zelda, allowed their curses to play out like worn-out soap operas," _I replied, finally coming to the conclusion I had seen time and time again.

"_Hyrule doesn't need you anymore, you lazy fools. They need a goddess that will not permit others to be harmed…a goddess of true justice…one that will __put the animals down.__ Give the people the power to think for themselves…protect them, and love them…and then, teach them to defend themselves…so evils like Ganondorf and Demise can never trouble them. You three made Hyrule dependent on you…and did almost nothing while they suffered under Ganondorf's repeated evils."_

The three goddesses growled. "_You destroyed an entire species!" _Din screamed. "_You ended the lives of your evil gypsy servants! You're nothing but a monster…and will always be a monster!" _She then pointed down at Danika, still sleeping peacefully on the ground. "_Kill her, my sisters! Destroy her!"_

The three sisters dove toward Danika…now totally defenseless…and I realized the trap she had been drug into. There was no way they would ever forgive me – none. They played Sephiroth…knew that the Master Sword would be needed to kill Demise…so they could lure Danika into this place…and kill her.

"_NOOOOO!" _I roared, leaping into the path of the goddesses, knowing I most likely stood no chance of stopping them –

"ENOUGH!" a dark voice roared, one I thought was dead. Suddenly…a black barrier emerged between the goddesses and me, blocking them…and then I heard a loud, satisfying scream.

"_De-Demise?"_ I asked…watching as the golden countenances of the goddesses twisted in pain and agony…their power slowly being destroyed as a ghostly visage of Demise stood between us.

"_Jenova…this was my plan all along," _Demise said. "_I knew all along that you would lose your love for me…that we could never truly be together, ruling Hyrule…even though that was my hope. I couldn't save you…couldn't even find you when you left this world…but I swore I would avenge you in some capacity…even if I, a god, had to die to do it."_

"_But…"_

"_Yes…you two were right," _he said, gesturing down to Danika_. "I said a lot of awful things…I lost my way…to the point it could be unforgivable. But…is it safe to assume we both lost our respective ways over the last two thousand years? Desiring instead to control our respective worlds like gods…when we could have tried to find each other…and salvage whatever love was left?"_

"_De…Demise…why?" _I said sadly. "_Why…are you just going to die?"_

"_Hyrule…has no more need of me…or them, for that matter," Demise said, his power really beginning to weaken. "The only way… to break this endless cycle…this world's addiction to the divine, if you will…is for all five of us to die. When Danika killed my body with that bomb…I joined my energy with hers…and I used it to kill Hylia."_

I screamed…how? Demise, however, nodded his head.

"_She stood by and did nothing while you suffered and died…that's not what a mother does," _Demise replied. "_If she loved you like she loved them…she would have scoured the universe for you. Your mother…she always regretted loving Alun. She felt…it made her weak, even though he bent over backwards for her."_

I felt like crying…but I knew him to be right. The goddesses were screaming…their bodies almost done collapsing into dust, the Triforce crumbling to dust before my eyes. "_I haven't much time, Jenova…," _Demise said. "_It's time for you to become the goddess of this world. Protect them…love them…as you once loved me. Take the power of the goddesses…rejoin Danika…and bring peace to the cosmos."_

"_I…I forgive you, Demise," _I said. "_I-"_

Before I could get the rest of the words out…the black barrier shifted into a black visage of my former lover…slamming me square in the gut. Eons of power and knowledge…flowed through me like a river.

_All of their power – Din, Fayore, Naryu, Hylia – flooded me. Four goddesses…united in one. The temptation of the Triforce forever broken. My vision suddenly shifted to my ruined corpse in the Shinra manor…and I watched with glee as it crumbled to dust with a thought. I no longer needed that ugly husk…I would soon rebuild myself, creating a new body worthy of my capacity. _

_But for now…five champions needed their just rewards._

…

_**POV: Danika**_

__I remember that last time with Granny Soria so vividly I can still rebuild it almost perfectly in my brain. I remember the sterile hospital equipment, the feel of the make-up on my face…the weird cross between pride and joy in my father on his face. I remember that it disturbed me a little – his own mother was dying, I reasoned – why wasn't he sad?

Remember, I was only nine – all but oblivious to the pain and suffering gypsy tradition had caused. I knew some gypsy traditions were kind of outdated – maybe even a little foolish – but I felt what few traditions of the gypsies I carried on at that time were something of a symbol of pride. I had even preserved Granny Soria's Sacred Arts in my scrapbook, so I would remember the wonderful times we had together, singing – not the pyre that would soon burn her body to ashes…or her coffin. I wanted to make sure I wouldn't remember her funeral – I didn't want to remember that at all.

I went to the foot of the bed, composing myself. "_Grandmother…I am here_," I said, watching out of the corner of my eye as my father closed the door and went to the lobby – thus cutting himself off from all the blessings of my grandmother. "I fear the time is coming…and I am here to preserve what you have passed on."

Grandma was almost asleep – or dead, I wasn't sure – but as the words left my mouth, she sat up, looking like nothing had happened at all. However…there was a glow to her face, an almost otherworldly one. I had heard of this glow – it was said to appear in the faces of gypsies that had happily consigned themselves to death, granted to them by their "goddess." Granny Soria had promised to tell me the name of the goddess for my tenth birthday, as my first of several "rites of passage"…but tears came to my eyes as I realized that was not a promise she would be able to keep.

"_Little one, do not cry!_" Granny replied, suddenly realizing why I was upset. "_I know I shall not be able to keep my word to you…and I am sorry…but I shall impart to you a warning. I…I have done everything I can to protect you…the marriage to Sasuke was to protect you from…"_

She paused, the terror returning, "_Soria_…," she said. This wasn't uncommon – she spoke to herself often when she dealt with overwhelming fear and terror. "_The Angel seeks to destroy the very thing you hold dear…you MUST rise up and fight back, or she will suffer!"_

"_Grandmother…who is the angel_?" I asked, determined to get to the bottom of what my grandmother hated so much. "_What is its name?"_

"_His name…it is too terrible to speak_," she replied. "_However…he is a human…infused with the seeds of the goddess. He is one of many…but he is the greatest. So powerful…the worlds tremble in fear of the mention of him. You…you must guard your heart…or he shall slide into the broken shards of your heart…filling you up with him over and over again. You…shall become a slave to him…begging him to feed you more and more-"_

Then, she slumped back, and went limp. I was confused…but then…my dream shifted. I was in what looked like the future, now both naked and pregnant, very pregnant, on a throne inside a warm cage with the door open…a place surrounded with warm pillows, a tray full of hot food and what looked like wine or grape juice in a cup. A savaged-looking Nerika…a half-dead looking Tahana…and the corpse of Toshiyori-sensei sat outside, standing before what looked like a sea of nameless, faceless people…as a nearly nude Sephiroth walked in, his manliness covered by a clean white robe. A warm glow filled my whole being…I was about to give birth.

I didn't understand what it was I was doing…but I knew I was not human anymore. I was a demi-goddess…only Jenova had more power than me, but she seemed content to give me free rein. As I gave gentle pushes, moving my next child into the world, Sephiroth stared out at the people…and he looked disgusted.

"What shall I do with these rats?" he asked as the baby pushed through my cervix, her tiny head emerging from my womb. "The people seek them dead…but still…they refuse to die."

Normally, I would have chided him for interrupting the birth…but I had birthed so many times that it was nearly a banal thing. I birthed…he filled me…and we repeated the process. The baby slid out gently, and Sephiroth caught her with his gravity powers, cutting her cord with a knife and grabbing a blanket from nowhere, wrapping her up.

"If they shall not die…summon Aerith." I said.

I didn't know who Aerith was…but then, a plump-looking brown haired woman with calm, simmering green eyes – a woman of power – appeared, Zelda dressed in white behind her as terror filled the crowd, looking like she'd been f-ed stupid. Once…she had been a healer, if I remembered right…but we had done something to her I couldn't remember. It had involved screaming…and me laughing hysterically as Sephiroth did awful things to her I also couldn't remember. In the back of my mind…someone yelled for her…but soon, he grew calm, smiling as she learned to become the feared woman she was.

"New babies for me?" she asked, smiling. She called everyone babies…especially among the new charges she beat, drugged, magicked, and watched be seduced until they became nothing more than happy slaves, fearful of only us.

Sephiroth gestured, and the crowd grabbed the two living bodies, ignoring Toshiyori. "Yes," Sephiroth said as he rubbed my breasts. "Take them."

Aerith squealed as the girls screamed. The crowds cheered…and everything went black.


End file.
